Chinese Government in Ming Times: Seven Studies edited by Charles O. Hucker

I had this book for several years before I got around to reading it. The reason for this is that the Ming dynasty is much later than I normally study, and I am not as interested in political history as social history. But nonetheless when I finally did get around to reading it I found I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The book was written in 1969 and is a straightforward old-fashioned history book. It is a collection of essays written by both American and Chinese historians. Ming Local Administration looked at how the local government was run and by whom. Yuan Origins for the Wei-so system challenged the idea, put forth in the Ming official histories that the military system for the Yuan dynasty had been completely scrapped and a new system invented for the Ming. It also went on to look at specific military decisions throughout the dynasty. Fiscal administration during the Ming looked at taxation and administration and analysed its strengths and weaknesses. The essays on education were the most interesting to me, Education Intendants and Academies and Politics in the Ming dynasty. One of the things I’m finding very interesting at the moment is how education shapes and creates culture and society, both of these chapters will be very good reference for looking at this situation in Ming times and tracing its development, and the ever increasing government control over education and private academies. The last chapter The Ming Dynasty Bureaucracy looked at who the officials were and what categories they fell into socially, and economically. One of the most surprising parts of this was to see that there was still rather a large amount of clan control over government, something I thought had fallen away in the early Tang. It was also a good reference to see the different geographical locations of power and how these changed through the dynasty. This book was a tad dry, but full of useful information and a very good reference source. I am glad I was finally able to get around to reading it.

Chants of Maldoror by Lautreamont

I read this book awhile ago for bibliogoth as recommended by sahra_patroness, I had to read it in English because even if I can read easy novels based in Imperial China there’s no way I’d be able to cope with one of the heroes of the Surrealist movement! I have to say I found it rather perplexing. I did want to enjoy it as it’s also one of beluosus’s favourite books but found it rather strange. There were some startlingly beautiful and horrible moments and passages within it; there were some great descriptions and some great ideas. What I felt were the weaknesses of the book was its inconsistency, I felt that some points went on for too long and some points just were lost completely. I have to say I also found the use of language, and the swapping back and forth between the narrator being Maldoror or an outside observer rather confusing.

When we got to bibliogoth most people hadn’t finished it. I said that I thought they should even if the did get lost from time to time, it was worth it to find the really beautiful bits tucked away in the madness. For me I really enjoyed the bits with the Shark, and the hermaphrodite, and the story of God in the whorehouse. I enjoyed the tales of people’s lives and how Maldoror would then show up and destroy it all. The book was more philosophy than fiction and I’m sure I missed a lot of what the author was trying to say, but I am glad to have read it, even if it wasn’t the type of thing I would normally read.