The Lyric Journey: Poetic Painting in China and Japan (review)

Reviews 79 though those concerned with public policy can find useful insight in the some of the discussions, particularly those addressing determinants ofChinese and Japanese security policy, EastAsian Securityis clearly more analytical in tone than policy-oriented. Third, the final essay (a translation ofa Japanese article on "The Glorification ofWar in Japanese Education" by Saburo Ienaga) seemed a little out ofsync with the rest ofthe book. Perhaps it should have been inserted earlier in the text where its uniqueness would not be so noticeable. This chapter also (in my copy) is missing two pages (pp. 348 and 350) with accompanying footnotes (numbers 47, 48, 49, 50, and 55). Overall, this is an excellent book: thoughtful, conveniendy organized, and containing diverse but well-argued perspectives from several highly respected scholars. It is intended to be simply a reader—a collection ofessays—but there is sufficient focus on many ofthe key issues ofEast Asian security to provide a sense of cohesion. Because ofits balanced and clear presentations, the book is both informative and a pleasure to read. It can be highly recommended to East Asian specialists as well as to undergraduate and graduate students in the fields ofinternational relations and national security studies. Martin L. Lasater The Adantic Council of the United States, Washington, D.C. Martin Lasater is a seniorfellow specializing in Sino-American relations and U.S. strategy andpolicy toward the Asia-Pacific region. mi James Cahül. The Lyric Journey: Poetic Painting in China and Japan. Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London: Harvard University Press, 1996. x, 251 pp. Hardcover $45.00, isbn 0-674-53970-2. A glance at the table ofcontents might cause a bookstore browser to wonder what strand interweaves three chapters on painted evocations oflyric journeys: "In Southern Sung Hangchou," "In Late Ming Suchou," and "In Edo-Period Japan." James Cahill has set himselfthe challenge ofaddressing complex interactions of y mversity pamtulg an¿ poetry in two distinctbut culturallylinked countries, in part to meet the terms ofthe Edwin O. Reischauer Lectures, which specify that the theme of each series encompass at least two cultures of East Asia. As a prolific author on Chinese painting who also has contributed to the study ofthe Japanese Nanga ofHawai'i Press 8o China Review International: Vol. 5, No. i, Spring 1998 School, Cahill was an excellent choice to share his reflections in 1993 with audiences at Harvard University. Here, in the resulting book, he notes the conditions in both countries that fostered the popularity of a thematic type that he defines as the lyric journey. In each case, he argues, a key role is played by urbanités, including wealthy merchants, who long nostalgically for a simpler, more rural lifestyle, even as they contribute to its demise. Many well-to-do commoners identified themselves with the prestigious culture ofofficialdom by reading, publishing, and writing poetry, thus expanding the influence of this literary form. Whether linked explicitly or implicitly with a poetic text, painted versions of the ideal lyric journey create a poetic mood. The "longings these people conventionally but nonetheless poignantly felt toward the ideals ofwithdrawal from human society" (p. 71) were reinforced by artists who provided paintings in which a highly cultured person, or a designated rustic counterpart, makes lyric journeys—excursions to and from a beautifully sited hermitage. Whereas Cahill might have characterized the urbanités' identification with poor fisherfolk or true recluses as mere posturing, by assuming that conventionality does not necessarily equate with insincerity or superficiality, he encourages readers to approach the paintings with a sensibility attuned to poetic imagery. This is the third time Cahill has produced books based on lectures he has given as the invited speaker in a distinguished lecture series.' Such a format is particularly conducive to encouraging senior scholars to explore distinct but interrelated themes. In this book Cahill continues to consider socioeconomic aspects involved in the production and reception of paintings, but here this serves primarily as a briefly sketched contextual framework. To articulate his vision of a certain type of poetic painting Cahill devotes considerable space to the interpretation of specific works. Among the illustrations are ones that have rarely if ever been published before and many that provide extremely apt...