Unexpected Affinities: Reading Across CulturesUniversity of Toronto Press, 2007 - 138 pages East-West comparative literature is a field of study that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. In this pioneering study, renowned scholar Zhang Longxi offers a much-needed reappraisal of the thematic and conceptual similarities that unite literary and cultural traditions in the East and West. An expanded version of the lectures he gave as part of the Alexander Lectures Series at the University of Toronto in 2005, Unexpected Affinities emphasizes affinity over difference and explores the relationship between East and West in terms of cultural homogeneity (with shared literary qualities as its signposts), challenging the traditional boundaries of cross-cultural study and comparative literature as a discipline. Throughout Unexpected Affinities, Zhang emphasizes the validity of East-West studies through concrete examples and a wide range of references not only to literature, but to religious and philosophical texts as well. Zhang insists that certain critical insights come solely from the cross-cultural perspective of East-West studies, and that without going beyond the limited horizon of a single literary tradition, we will not attain the broad vision of human creativity in all its richness and diversity. Clear, concise, and engaging, Unexpected Affinities will appeal to students of comparative literature and Asian studies, as well as to readers interested in the global implications of art and culture. |
From inside the book
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... ( Cambridge , Mass .: Harvard University Press , 1965 ) , 102 . 2 Ibid . , 120 . 3 Harold Bloom , Introduction to Modern Critical View : Emily Dickin- son , ed . Harold Bloom ( New York : Chelsea House Publishers , 1985 ) , 1 . 4 Ralph ...
... ( Cambridge ) : ' Chaucer at Oxford and at Cambridge . ' Published as Chaucer at Oxford and at Cambridge ( University of Toronto Press 1974 ) . 1971-2 Roy Daniels ( British Columbia ) : ' Mannerism : An Inclusive Art Form . ' 1972-3 Hugh ...
... ( Cambridge University Press 1993 ) . 1978-9 Ronald Paulson ( Yale ) : ' The Representation of Revolution 1789-1820 . ' Published as The Representation of Revolution ( 1789-1820 ) ( Yale 1983 ) . 1979-80 David Daiches ( Edinburgh ) ...
Contents
The Fallacy of Cultural Incommensurability | 3 |
THREE | 38 |
FOUR | 69 |
Copyright | |
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