| Titre | Combats d'animaux. Réflexions sur le bestiaire du Zhuangzi | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Romain Graziani | |
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Revue | Extrême-Orient, Extrême-Occident |
| Numéro | no 26, 2004 «De la difficulte de juger». Quelques ressources du mode critique en Chine et au Viêt Nam | |
| Rubrique / Thématique | II. Contrastes critiques |
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| Page | 55-87 | |
| Résumé anglais |
A Byway through Fauna. Some thoughts on the Wildlife in the Zhuangzi
The Zhuangzi is the only literary work from early China which ascribes a salient role to the animals, namely a philosophical one. Indeed, the animal serves not to consecrate the political power but to undermine its authority, and to denounce the alienation of men and the hidden violence within its hierarchial structure. The land of the animals thus offers a privileged standpoint from which to observe the history of men, starting with their emergence from the natural realm propelled by the ancient Sages, and culminating in their forced integration in a body political (the phrase « body political »). Far from being mere transparent illustrations of human situations, the significance of the animal scenes in the Zhuangzi can be much more appreciated when contrasted with the moralising stories about animals circulated by literati during the Warring States period, which were purported to illustrate the boundless authority and transforming force of the virtuous ruler. Among the natural, hybrid and fantastic animals with which the Zhuangzi is replete, this article focuses on the anecdotes and episodes which feature turtles, horses and fishes. These three species make a decisive contribution to the critique of the major institutions in ancient China (divination, ritual, sacrifice and music) and, more radically, of the very values on which its civilization was ideologically founded. the critique of the major institutions in ancient China (divination, ritual, sacrifice and music) and, more radically, of the very values on which its civilization was ideologically founded. Source : Éditeur (via Persée) |
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| Article en ligne | http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/oroc_0754-5010_2004_num_26_26_1212 |
