Overview
Parrots and mynahs have played a unique role in Chinese literature for two millennia. These birds that can talk and interact intelligently with their owners were treasured as pets both in the palace and in private homes. The caged birds were pitied for their homesickness but praised for their eagerness to serve. Over time they developed into exemplars of Confucian values such as filial piety and loyalty, and they also featured prominently in tales of love and war. Closely associated with Buddhism from early on, the parrot proved itself an effective preacher of the Dharma and became the favorite bird of the bodhisattva Guanyin. In this wide-ranging thematic study, Wilt L. Idema traces the development of the parrot and the mynah as characters in many forms of poetry and prose of Chinese elite literature, as well as in the long narrative ballads of traditional popular literature. The book provides complete renditions of Mi Heng's (173–198) Rhapsody on the Parrot, the anonymous Tale of the Parrot's Filial Piety of the fifteenth century, and the anonymous Precious Scroll of the Parrot of late-imperial times. An epilogue discusses the disappearance of the parrot in modern Chinese literature.
Full Product Details
Author: Wilt L. Idema
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Imprint: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674298675
ISBN 10: 0674298675
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 04 March 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
If there is a distinctive genre we can define as Chinese animal literature in English translation, no one has made a greater contribution than Wilt L. Idema...[his] eloquent and mostly accurate translations help this book lay an important textual foundation for further research on birds in Chinese literature from a transnational perspective.--Huaiyu Chen ""Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies"" (10/6/2025 12:00:00 AM) Introduces readers to a wealth of intriguing sources in which birds talk, compose, preach, and plot...[and] provides an excellent springboard for future research along with superbly readable and teachable translations.--Kelsey Granger ""T'oung Pao"" (12/16/2025 12:00:00 AM) Wonderful...more work is needed to fully understand the role of birds in Chinese literature and history. Idema's monograph, with all its fine translations and an excellent bibliography, will be very helpful in promoting such projects.--Roderich Ptak ""Monumenta Serica"" (7/3/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Wonderful...more work is needed to fully understand the role of birds in Chinese literature and history. Idema's monograph, with all its fine translations and an excellent bibliography, will be very helpful in promoting such projects.--Roderich Ptak ""Monumenta Serica"" (7/3/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Author Information
Wilt L. Idema is Professor of Chinese Literature, Emeritus, at Harvard University.
