On the antique rhetoric of friendship
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Michael Nylan
Abstract
Rhetorical tropes of intimate friendship (you 友) employed in the classical era in China present a stark contrast to those that survive in Latin and classical Greek sources. For this ideal form of friendship was described far less often in terms of the material and psychic advantages that can accrue from alliances outside the immediate family circle than in terms of the propensity for true friendships to foster the development of the singular traits and potentials of each partner in the intimate friendship. This essay argues, contra many social historians, that moderns cannot extract any underlying social realities from the early discussions of the theme, even if our sources allow us to see how certain social exchanges were construed, valued, and promoted by members of the governing elite.
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Munich/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Aufsätze – Articles – Articles
- A sidelong glance
- On comparative approaches to rhetoric in ancient China
- The art of narrative and the rhetoric of persuasion in the “*Jīn Téng” (Metal Bound Casket) from the Tsinghua collection of manuscripts
- A weapon in the battle of definitions: a special rhetorical strategy in Hánfēizǐ
- Rhetoric as the Art of Listening: Concepts of Persuasion in the First Eleven Chapters of the Guiguzi
- Handling a double-edged sword: Controlling rhetoric in early China
- Rhetorical functions of quotations in late pre-imperial and early imperial memorials on questions of civilian-military leadership
- The Yang Mo 楊墨 dualism and the rhetorical construction of heterodoxy
- The sage as teacher and source of knowledge: editorial strategies and formulaic utterances in Confucius dialogues
- On the antique rhetoric of friendship
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Aufsätze – Articles – Articles
- A sidelong glance
- On comparative approaches to rhetoric in ancient China
- The art of narrative and the rhetoric of persuasion in the “*Jīn Téng” (Metal Bound Casket) from the Tsinghua collection of manuscripts
- A weapon in the battle of definitions: a special rhetorical strategy in Hánfēizǐ
- Rhetoric as the Art of Listening: Concepts of Persuasion in the First Eleven Chapters of the Guiguzi
- Handling a double-edged sword: Controlling rhetoric in early China
- Rhetorical functions of quotations in late pre-imperial and early imperial memorials on questions of civilian-military leadership
- The Yang Mo 楊墨 dualism and the rhetorical construction of heterodoxy
- The sage as teacher and source of knowledge: editorial strategies and formulaic utterances in Confucius dialogues
- On the antique rhetoric of friendship
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
- Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews
