Ritual Performance in Early Chinese Thought: A Dramaturgical Perspective (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781350359000)

Examining early Chinese ritual discourse during the Warring States and early Western Han Periods, this book reveals how performance became a fundamental feature of ritual and politics in early China. Through a dramaturgical lens, Thomas Radice explores the extent to which performer/spectator relationships influenced all aspects of early Chinese religious, ethical, and political discourse.

Arguing that the Confucians conceived ritual as primarily a dramaturgical matter, this book demonstrates not only that theatricality was necessary for expression and deception in a community of spectators, but also how a theatrical 'presence' ultimately became essential to all forms of public life in early China. Thomas Radice illuminates previously unexplored connections between early Chinese texts, aesthetics, and traditions.

Author: Thomas Radice
ISBN-10: 1350359009
ISBN-13: 9781350359000
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Language: English
Published: 05/28/2026
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.41d