“Emerson and Asia” (Publication, 1930)
Year
1930
Text
Carpenter, Frederic Ives. Emerson and Asia. (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1930). (Eme26)
Type
Publication
Contributors (1)
Carpenter, Frederic Ives
(Chicago, Ill. 1903-1991 Walnut Creek, Calif.) : Autor
Mentioned People (1)
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
(Boston 1803-1882 Concord, Mass.) : Philosoph, Unitarier, Schriftsteller
Subjects
Literature : Occident : United States of America
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References / Sources
Chronology Entries (6)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1822-1882 |
Ralph Waldo Emerson und China : Allgemein Quellen Abel-Rémusat, Jean-Pierre. L'invariable milieu, ouvrage morale Tséu-ssê [ID D1943]. The Chinese classical work commonly called the Four books. Transl. by David Collie. [ID D22647]. Iu-kiao-li, ou, Les deux cousines : roman chinois. Trad by Abel-Rémusat. [ID D5232]. Davis, John Francis. The Chinese [ID D2017]. Gérando, Joseph-Marie de. Histoire comparée des systèmes de philosophie, considérés relativement aux principes des connaissances humaines. (Paris : A. Eymery, 1822-1823). [Confucius]. [ID D29658]. Huc, Evariste Régis. Souvenirs d'un voyage dans la Tartarie, le Thibet et la Chine pendant les années 1844, 1845 et 1846 [ID D2107]. The She king or the book of poetry. Transl. by James Legge. Marshman, Joshua. The works of Confucius [ID D1909]. Marshman, Joshua. Dissertation on the characters and sounds of the Chinese language [ID D1908]. Oliphant, Laurence. Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's mission to China and Japan in the years 1857 [ID D2188]. Perry, M[atthew] C[albraith]. Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan, performed in the years 1852, 1853, and 1854 [ID D4578]. The Phenix : a collection of old and rare fragments [ID D29682]. Ansom Burlingame Senator Charles Sumner sent Emerson Senate documents on Chinese correspondence. Sekundärliteratur 1930 Frederic Ives Carpenter : Chinese literature and Buddhism were the only two Oriental systems which Emerson did not wholly welcome. Buddhism epitomized for him the quietism of the East, and its passiveness. Chinese literature epitomized its formalism, and its lack of the progressive element. 1932 Arthur Christy : The tie that bound Emerson to Confucius was their common belief in the goodness of man. When the responsibilities of manhood were on his shoulders and when he faced economic necessities, he found, after browsing among his books, that Confucius could speak to his condition. The simplest exposition of further influence from the reading of the Confucian books is the most significant instances in the essays in which Confucian thought is apparent. Confucius gave Emerson moral corroboration of his observations on men – not the universe. 1944 Chang Chi-yun : Emerson took the personality of Confucius as an example of human greatness. The great man was he who embodied in himself to the highest degree the virtue, the vital force of the universe. Emerson was one of the first American to take the trouble to acquaint himself with the thought and civilization of the East. His interest in Chinese literature remained constant ; and so, to a high degree, he qualified himself to be the announcer and the interpreter of this 'New era'. 1956 Donald M. Murray : One of the more exotic facts about 19th-century American culture is that transcendental New England imported intellectual cargoes from the Orient. Scholars have several times weighed and gauged this philosophical freight, and Emerson received and assimilated certain Confucian ideas. This interest continued over many years. There is a remarkable analogy between the structure of written Chinese and Emerson's theory of language and poetry. The ideographs, as explained in the books of his own time, offer an illuminating parallel with the theories expresses in Nature and The poet. Emerson's belief in the special efficacy of words conveying hard, sharp images of things ; his preference for words denoting the simple and even 'mean' objects of ordinary life ; and his interest in compressed, succinct language, like that of proverbs. (Eme9) Wong Kin-yuen : Emerson's first impression that Confucianism was absolute, that it was inimical to the system of Western thinking, was gradually substituted by a better understanding of its real nature and spirit. As to Emerson himself, the transition had been made. Having learned to probe from within himself for solution, he was apt to grant substance to what was happening in this world. Thus it was Confucius' practical ethics which places a value of goodness done in this world that attracted Emerson. His interest in the Confucian classics incessantly grew. He came to recognize that Confucianism also had its progressiveness, it was Confucianism that inherited and fully developed the humanistic tendency. He sees in Mencius a way to break down the barrier between human nature and the divine decree. 1985 Chang Yao-hsin : Confucianism proved to be part of the inexhaustible source of human wisdom from which Emerson never tired of drawing. Another reason for Emerson's interest in Confucius is to be sought in the nature of his philosophy. He did not recognize the Chinese sage at once. He knew at first little or nothing about China and Confucius. The three points which Confucius made accord well with what Emerson was to say all his life, namely, the divine nature of man, the possibility of achieving perfection by being true to one's nature, and the important role of the great man in the culture of men in general. These are the areas where Confucius exerted some influence on Emerson. 1992 Qian Mansu : Although Confucianism, with its practical orientation, was not Emerson's favorite, He read the Confucian Four Books in several editions and quoted from them for almost a hundred times in various speeches and writings. The part of Confucianism that he most willingly accepted was the attitude towards moral principles and self-cultivation. Emerson appreciated Confucius as an outstanding individual and rejected China as a nation. His criticism was quite representative of the prevalent Western image of China of the time : an ancient society caught in stagnation and self-complacency, unable to walk out of her own past. Emerson was most critical of China for her despotic system and her lack of individualism. Emerson's understanding of religion far outreached Christianity. Although he did not deny God, religion to him has nothing to do with a personified God – God of tradition or God of rhetoric, nor anything to do with church, or doctrines and rituals. His interest in Asia covers many fields, including the Indian Vedas, Hinduism, Menu, Zoroaster, Persian poetry, and Confucianism. For a long time, Emerson had no direct knowledge of Oriental philosophy. His idea of the Orient came mainly from impression and intuition. But with the maturity of his own philosophy, his prejudice relaxed and his vision broadened. Interest in the East was part of his search for new sources of ideas in order to draw inspiration and arguments to reinforce his newly-built system. A long time Confucius was the only Chinese philosopher Emerson was familiar with. Later Mencius became known to him. But Laozi and Zhuangzi were never mentioned by him. Self-reliance is Emerson's most important teaching. He found in Mencius a fellow exponent of the principle. 2003 Chen, Li-jen : For Emerson, Confucius was the greatest thinker in Chinese history. Emerson clearly showed his respect and admiration for Confucius. He quoted the Sayings of Confucius and Mencius as illustrations of his ideas. He copied a passage from the Chinese Classics explaining well the action of Confucius into his Journals. |
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| 2 | 1830 | Ralph Waldo Emerson reads De Gérando's Histoire comparée des systèmes de philosophie. |
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| 3 | 1834 | Ralph Waldo Emerson reads the 'Sheking'. |
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| 4 | 1836 | Ralph Waldo Emerson reads Marshman's Confucius. |
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| 5 | 1841 | Ralph Waldo Emerson reads 'Confucius'. |
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| 6 | 1843 | Ralph Waldo Emerson reads 'The four books' and 'Shiking'. |
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Cited by (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 | Ethik-Zentrum Universität Zürich | Organisation / EZ |
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