Overview

Under the Song Dynasty, China experienced rapid commercial growth and monetization of the economy. In the same period, the austere ethical turn that led to neo-Confucianism was becoming increasingly prevalent in the imperial bureaucracy and literati culture. Tracing the influences of these trends in Chinese intellectual history, All Mine! explores the varied ways in which eleventh-century writers worked through the conflicting values of this new world. Stephen Owen contends that in the new money economy of the Song, writers became preoccupied with the question of whether material things can bring happiness. Key thinkers returned to this problem, weighing the conflicting influences of worldly possessions and material comfort against Confucian ideology, which locates true contentment in the Way and disdains attachment to things. In a series of essays, Owen examines the works of writers such as the prose master Ouyang Xiu, who asked whether tranquility could be found in the backwater to which he had been exiled; the poet and essayist Su Dongpo, who was put on trial for slandering the emperor; and the historian Sima Guang, whose private garden elicited reflections on private ownership. Through strikingly original readings of major eleventh-century figures, All Mine! inquires not only into the material conditions of happiness but also the broader conditions of knowledge.

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Stephen Owen's interpretations of Chinese literature are not only enlightening but also a pleasure to read. He always finds levels of meaning I would not have reached on my own. -- Patricia Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i>

Elegant and witty, erudite and charming. Stephen Owen explores the dilemmas new modes of ownership created for the pursuit of happiness and reputation in the writings of great eleventh-century humanists. A brilliant example of how the study of literature speaks to intellectual and social history. -- Peter K. Bol, author of <i>Neo-Confucianism in History</i> Stephen Owen's interpretations of Chinese literature are not only enlightening but also a pleasure to read. He always finds levels of meaning I would not have reached on my own. -- Patricia Buckley Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i> Brilliant and persuasive readings of important Song essays that reveal a paradigm shift in the consciousness of writers. Considering the pressures of a lived environment complicated by obsession with objects, ownership, and self-representation, these readings are presented in a mode of hypothetical propositions, drawing the reader into a conversation with the texts and the translator. -- Stephen H. West, cotranslator of <i>The Orphan of Zhao and Other Yuan Plays: The Earliest Known Versions</i> [A] must-read on the studies of literati culture in eleventh-century China . . . It is a pleasure to read Professor Owen’s brilliant readings supplemented by precise and elegant translations of major pieces. * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies * Reading All Mine! is certainly a joyful experience. Owen’s style of writing brings the Song world and writers to life. * Philosophy East and West * For students in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, [this book] serves as a perfect introduction to Northern Song literature and an exemplary example of interdisciplinary research. For some Chinese academics, this book will also be a handy primary source for studying Owen’s artistic tastes and hermeneutical style. Of course, it is also an excellent reading for scholars in literary studies, Song cultural history, and translation studies. * Journal of Asian Studies *

Elegant and witty, erudite and charming. Stephen Owen explores the dilemmas new modes of ownership created for the pursuit of happiness and reputation in the writings of great eleventh-century humanists. A brilliant example of how the study of literature speaks to intellectual and social history. -- Peter K. Bol, author of <i>Neo-Confucianism in History</i> Stephen Owen's interpretations of Chinese literature are not only enlightening but also a pleasure to read. He always finds levels of meaning I would not have reached on my own. -- Patricia Buckley Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i> Brilliant and persuasive readings of important Song essays that reveal a paradigm shift in the consciousness of writers. Considering the pressures of a lived environment complicated by obsession with objects, ownership, and self-representation, these readings are presented in a mode of hypothetical propositions, drawing the reader into a conversation with the texts and the translator. -- Stephen H. West, cotranslator of <i>The Orphan of Zhao and Other Yuan Plays: The Earliest Known Versions</i>

Stephen Owen's interpretations of Chinese literature are not only enlightening but also a pleasure to read. He always finds levels of meaning I would not have reached on my own. -- Patricia Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i> Brilliant and persuasive readings of important Song essays that reveal a paradigmatic shift in the consciousness of writers. Considering the pressures of a lived environment complicated by obsession with objects, ownership, and self-representation, these readings are presented in a mode of hypothetical propositions, drawing the reader into a conversation with the texts and the translator. -- Stephen H. West, cotranslator of <i>The Orphan of Zhao and Other Yuan Plays The Earliest Known Versions</i>

Stephen Owen's interpretations of Chinese literature are not only enlightening but also a pleasure to read. He always finds levels of meaning I would not have reached on my own. -- Patricia Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i> Brilliant and persuasive readings of important Song essays that reveal a paradigmatic shift in the consciousness of writers. Considering the pressures of a lived environment complicated by obsession with objects, ownership, and self-representation, these readings are presented in a mode of hypothetical propositions, drawing the reader into a conversation with the texts and the translator. -- Stephen H. West, cotranslator of <i>The Orphan of Zhao and Other Yuan Plays The Earliest Known Versions</i> Elegant and witty, erudite and charming. Stephen Owen explores the dilemmas new modes of ownership created for the pursuit of happiness and reputation in the writings of great eleventh century humanists. A brilliant example of how the study of literature speaks to intellectual and social history. -- Peter K. Bol, author of <i>Localizing Learning: The Literati Enterprise in Wuzhou, 1100-1600</i>

Author Information

Stephen Owen is James Bryant Conant University Professor Emeritus in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. His many books include, most recently, Just a Song: Chinese Lyrics from the Eleventh and Early Twelfth Centuries (2019).

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