This is an Online Internet Book Club on The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics by Annping Chin. Discuss this book, share your thoughts, make comments, ask questions, offer responses...
Description
For more than two thousand years, Confucius has been an inseparable part of China's history. Yet despite this fame,Confucius the man has been elusive. Now, in
The Authentic Confucius, Annping Chin has worked through the most reliable Chinese texts in her quest to sort out what is really known about Confucius from the reconstructions and the guesswork that muddled his memory.
Chin skillfully illuminates the political and social climate in which Confucius lived. She explains how Confucius made the transition from court advisor to wanderer, and how he reluctantly became a professional teacher as he refined his judgment of human character and composed his vision of a moral political order. The result is an absorbing and original book that shows how Confucius lived and thought: his habits and inclinations, his relation to the people of the time, his work as a teacher and as a counselor, his worries about the world and the generations to come.
In this book, Chin brings the historical Confucius within our reach, so that he can lead us into his idea of the moral and to his teachings on family and politics, culture and learning. The Authentic Confucius is a masterful account of the life and intellectual development of a thinker whose presence remains a powerful force today.
Book Club Questions for The Authentic Confucius (Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics (Fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on The Authentic Confucius:
- Did Annping Chin emphasize any specific themes throughout The Authentic Confucius? What do you think Annping Chin is trying to explain with this theme?
- What was unique about the setting of The Authentic Confucius and how did it affect the storyline?
- Could you relate to any of the characters? If so, which ones and why?
- How do characters change or learn throughout The Authentic Confucius? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?
- How does The Authentic Confucius reveal Annping Chin's own perspectives about people and the world? For a lively discussion, describe why you think Annping Chin is liberal or conservative.
- Did certain parts of The Authentic Confucius affect you emotionally? Why did it evoke those emotions?
- Did Annping Chin's point of view on things lend new perspective to your own view of the world?
Book Club Questions for The Authentic Confucius (for Non-Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics (Non-fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on The Authentic Confucius:
- Did Annping Chin make persuasive arguments in The Authentic Confucius? Did The Authentic Confucius change or reinforce your opinion on the subject?
- What did you learn from The Authentic Confucius?
- How does Annping Chin present the information and did you enjoy it?
- How is Annping Chin biased within The Authentic Confucius? Is there a political slant to what is being discussed and how does it impact the book?
- What, if anything, does The Authentic Confucius make you want to read next? Why?
Please feel free to:
No signup needed