Skip to product information
1 of 2

Harvard University Press

Tiger Writing: Art, Culture, and the Interdependent Self (The William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in the History of American Civilization)

Tiger Writing: Art, Culture, and the Interdependent Self (The William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in the History of American Civilization)

Book Details
  • Author: Gish Jen
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • Publisher: Harvard University Press
  • Published: 2013-03-25
  • Edition: Illustrated
Regular price $6.95 USD
Regular price Sale price $6.95 USD
Sale Sold out
Condition
For author Gish Jen, the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, books were once an Outsiders’ Guide to the Universe. But they were something more, too. Through her eclectic childhood reading, Jen stumbled onto a cultural phenomenon that would fuel her writing for decades to come: the profound difference in self-narration that underlies the gap often perceived between East and West. Drawing on a rich array of sources, from paintings to behavioral studies to her father’s striking account of his childhood in China, this accessible book not only illuminates Jen’s own development and celebrated work but also explores the aesthetic and psychic roots of the independent and interdependent self—each mode of selfhood yielding a distinct way of observing, remembering, and narrating the world. The novel, Jen writes, is fundamentally a Western form that values originality, authenticity, and the truth of individual experience. By contrast, Eastern narrative emphasizes morality, cultural continuity, the everyday, the recurrent. In its progress from a moving evocation of one writer’s life to a convincing delineation of the forces that have shaped our experience for millennia, Tiger Writing radically shifts the way we understand ourselves and our art-making.

The More Than Words double bottom line: Every purchase provides hands on job training opportunities, and all revenue supports our nonprofit to empower youth to take charge of their lives.

Shipping Info

We offer standard and express shipping starting at $5.99. Live local? We offer local pickup on select items at our Boston Store and Mobile Bookstore location.

Returns

We accept returns within 30 days of purchase for a refund. Simply reach out to us if you have any trouble with your order.

Care Instructions

We are here to help with any questions or concerns you may have at any time. Reach out to us and we can't wait to help!

View full details

can't find what you are looking for...

We Can Help