The Chinese Language in European Texts: The Early Period (Chinese Literature and Culture in the World)

This detailed, chronological study investigates the rise of the European fascination with the Chinese language up to 1615. By meticulously investigating a wide range of primary sources, Dinu Luca identifies a rhetorical continuum uniting the land of the Seres, Cathay, and China in a tropology of silence, vision, and writing. Tracing the contours of this tropology, __The Chinese Language in European Texts: The Early Period__ offers close readings of language-related contexts in works by classical authors, medieval travelers, and Renaissance cosmographers, as well as various merchants, wanderers, and missionaries, both notable and lesser-known. What emerges is a clear and comprehensive understanding of early European ideas about the Chinese language and writing system. This Detailed, Chronological Study Investigates The Rise Of The European Fascination With The Chinese Language Up To 1615. By Meticulously Investigating A Wide Range Of Primary Sources, Dinu Luca Identifies A Rhetorical Continuum Uniting The Land Of The Seres, Cathay, And China In A Tropology Of Silence, Vision, And Writing. Tracing The Contours Of This Tropology, The Chinese Language In European Texts: The Early Period Offers Close Readings Of Language-related Contexts In Works By Classical Authors, Medieval Travelers, And Renaissance Cosmographers, As Well As Various Merchants, Wanderers, And Missionaries, Both Notable And Lesser-known. What Emerges Is A Clear And Comprehensive Understanding Of Early European Ideas About The Chinese Language And Writing System. Introduction: Entering The Language Continuum -- 1. Silence, Script, And “new Understandings” -- 2. Figures, Hieroglyphs, And Ciphers,- 3. Ships, Bricks, And The Majesty Of Writing: The New Century -- Conclusion. Dinu Luca. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Permissions 8 Acknowledgments 10 Contents 14 List of Figures 16 Chapter 1: Introduction: Entering the Language Continuum 18 Notes 26 Chapter 2: Silence, Script, and “New Understandings” 36 Notes 60 Chapter 3: Figures, Hieroglyphs, and Ciphers 90 Notes 129 Chapter 4: Ships, Bricks, and the Majesty of Writing: The New Century 153 Notes 177 Chapter 5: Conclusion 192 Notes 196 Bibliography 199 Index 248 Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction: Entering the Language Continuum....Pages 1-18 Silence, Script, and “New Understandings”....Pages 19-72 Figures, Hieroglyphs, and Ciphers....Pages 73-135 Ships, Bricks, and the Majesty of Writing: The New Century....Pages 137-175 Conclusion....Pages 177-183 Back Matter....Pages 185-242