| Limited Views: Essays on Ideas and Letters is the masterpiece of Qian Zhongshu,which involves in seven languages, 4,000 references from home and abroad and dozens of subjects. It is the comments and unscramble of ancient Chinese philosophy and literature. However, because of its obscurity, it is hard for readers to understand.American sinologist Ronald Egan edited Limited Views: Essays on Ideas and Letters independently. The book was published by the Asian Centre of Harvard University in1998. It brought great shock to both American educational circles and the cultural communication between China and western countries. The English version not only goes with the tide of the development of sinology outside China, but also represents his dedication to break the barriers of “western centrism”. Firstly, Ronald Egan translated and edited the original version, making it easier for targeted readers.Secondly, the book contains incisive dialogism which disseminates and develops well in its English version. Lastly, “Breaking Through”, the core thought of Qian, is well represented in his masterpiece, which is also passed on to the translated version by Ronald Egan. He also made personal interpretation of Qian’s thought. Limited Views:Essays on Ideas and Letters and its English version reveal the dialogue and communication between the two masters from China and the west. The English version translated and edited by Ronald Egan makes enormous contributions to the development of Chinese and western comparative literature. |
