The Pheasant Cap Master (He guan zi): A Rhetorical Reading

By Carine Defoort

Preface
Note on Citations


1. Pheasant Cap Master and the Paradox of Unity

1.1. Expectations of Unity
1.2. A Celebration of Fragments


Part One: The Pheasant Cap Master as a Fragmented Text


2. Biographical Evidence and Expectations Concerning Unity of Authorship


2.1. Place of Origin in Biographical and Bibliographical Notices
2.2. He guan zi's Place of Origin and Dates
2.3. Further Considerations Concerning Authorship


3. Bibliographical Evidence and Expectations Concerning Unity of Length and Filiation


3.1. The Length of the Pheasant Cap Master
3.2. The Filiation of the Pheasant Cap Master
3.3. The Conflation Hypothesis
3.4. Further Discussion Concerning Filiation


4. Commentarial Evidence and Expectations Concerning Stylistic Unity


4.1. Comments on a Work of Poor Style
4.2. Commentaries on the Pheasant Cap Master
4.3. From Poor Style to Plagiarism


5. Textual Evidence and Expectations Concerning Textual Unity


5.1. A Corrupt Text
5.2. From Textual Corruption to Commentarial Interpolation
5.3. Indirect Evidence
5.4. Direct Evidence


Part Two: The Pheasant Cap Master as a Rhetorical Text


6. A Work of Positive Rhetoric


6.1. Rhetoric, Politics, and Frustration
6.2. Admonishment of the Ruler
6.3. The Ruler and the Sage
6.4. Explaining Political Failure


7. Rhetorical Use of Language


7.1. With the Power of Words
7.2. Redefinitions as Arguments
7.3. Further Instances of the Power of Language


8. Political Views on Language


8.1. Discussions about Names
8.2. The Source of Names
8.3. Norms for Naming


9. Beyond Names


9.1. Laws of Nature
9.2. The Unnamed Source of Names
9.3. Naming from the Unnamed


Appendix 1. Taboos: the Distribution of zheng and duan in the He guan zi
Appendix 2. The Distribution of Names in the He guan zi
Appendix 3. Bibliographical Evidence in Sources from the Han through the Yuan
Appendix 4. Indirect Evidence in Sources Predating the First Extant Complete Edition
Appendix 5. The Chapters of the He guan zi


Notes


Bibliography


Original Text of The Pheasant Cap Master


Index

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 079143074X
• ISBN13: 9780791430743
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher