Sources of Korean Tradition: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries

by Jennifer Crewe

Overview

Drawn from Peter H. Lee's Sourcebook of Korean Civilization, Volume I, this abridged introductory collection offers students and general readers primary readings in the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of Korea from ancient times through the sixteenth century. Sources of Korean Tradition is arranged according to the major epochs of Korean history, including sections on: Korean culture - its origins, writing, education, poetry, song, social life, and rituals; religion - the rise of Buddhism and Confucianism; the economy - the land, agriculture, commerce, and currency; and its changing political structures.

A superb collection by the foremost scholars in the field, Sources of Korean Tradition is supplemented by a bibliography and prefaces by both editors. An impressive storehouse for the grand corpus of thought, beliefs, and customs held by people of Korea for centuries, this volume is a valuable companion for those interested in the history of Korea and East Asian studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231105675
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/21/1996
Series:	Introduction to Asian Civilizations
Edition description:	ABR
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peter H. Lee is Professor of Korean and Comparative Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Songs of Flying Dragons: A Critical Reading; A Korean Storyteller's Miscellany; and Pine River and Lone Peak.Wm. Theodore de Bary is John Mitchell Mason Professor Emeritus and Provost Emeritus of Columbia University. He is the compiler of Sources of Chinese Tradition and Sources of Japanese Tradition, and editor of The Rise of Neo-Confucianism in Korea, all published by Columbia University Press.

Table of Contents

Preface
Explanatory Note
Contributors
Part I. Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla
1. Origins of korean culture
2. The Rise of the Three Kingdoms
3. The Introduction of Buddhism
4. Consolidation of the State
5. The Rise of Buddhism
6. Poetry and Song
7. Local Clans and the Rise of the Meditation School
Part II. Koryo
Introduction
8. Early Koryo Political Structure
9. Koryo Society
10. Military Rule and Late Koryo Reform
11. Buddhism: The Ch'ont'ae and Chogye Schools
12. Popular Beliefs and Confucianists
Part III. Early Choson
Introduction
13. Founding the Choson Dynasty
14. Political Thought in Early Choson
15. Culture
16. Social Life
17. Economy
18. Thought
19. Buddhism
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Beginning scholars of Asian Studies...will find this a challenging but worthwhile book to read.

Korean Quarterly

A monumental accomplishment.

Korean Studies