"Superfluous Things"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and discusses Craig Clunas' historical book, "Superfluous Things: Social Status and Material Culture in Early Modern China". According to the paper, Clunas' book is less a historiography with a clear thesis than it is a biography and translation of particular persons of interest to the era who wrote about a diversity of subjects from health to art to tea making.

From the Paper:

"Clunas' extended translation of Zhenheng's different expressions of the various progressions of modern Chinese men of his day through different stages of life show the Chinese writer's attention both to superfluity and detail, and how such details outline a general, far-reaching aesthetic, even though they apparently focus on minutia. Consider the guide provided by Chapter 23, Article 12, where Zhenheng writes in detail about how he believes that a person retired from office should build a small hut near a hill by his home, which must be furnished with teawares. The author dictates that this ideal retired man must also hire a boy as a tea servant to take care of his errands so he can entertain his guests and chat or sit in solitary confinement. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clunas, Craig. Superfluous Things: Social Status and Material Culture in Early Modern China. Chicago: Illinois University Press, Urbana and Chicago, 2004.
• "Craig Clunas." University of London: SOAS. Faculty Biography. 2006. [2 Dec 2006]<http://www.soas.ac.uk/art/clunas.html>

More papers on "Superfluous Things":

• Book Review # 32639 : " "The God of Small Things"
• Book Review # 71173 : "Things Fall Apart"
• Comparison Essay # 9544 : "Things Fall Apart" and " A Man of the People"

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