Literature of the Eastern World * James E. Miller Jr.

Collection of literature with introductions and explanations. A foundational, highly ambitious 1970 literary anthology explicitly engineered to compile, translate, and preserve the monumental religious, philosophical, and poetic masterpieces of the Eastern world for Western students.

The Story: Compiled and edited by prominent literary scholar and academic pioneer James E. Miller Jr., this comprehensive global survey functions as an exceptionally dense, research-ready workspace. Published during a major mid-century shift toward multicultural curriculum parameters, the volume completely shatters the Eurocentric limits of traditional humanities education. Instead, it establishes a highly structured, text-first sandbox that spans thousands of years of human thought. The volume guides researchers step-by-step through a massive cross-cultural tracking line, dividing its parameters into distinct geographic and historical sectors. It presents the unvarnished primary writings, epic poems, and sacred philosophies of ancient India, China, Japan, Persia, and the Middle East. Scholars can analyze the precise translation metrics of foundational texts like the Rig Veda, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and the core teachings of Confucius and Lao-tzu. Moving past basic philosophical parameters, Miller incorporates the elegant structural poetry of the Tang Dynasty, the classical dramatic scripts of Japanese Noh theater, and the lyrical mastery of Persian mystics like Rumi and Omar Toolkit for comparative religion and literature, each section includes analytical commentary, historical context lines, and translation footnotes. The text details how these ancient words functioned as a powerful spiritual and societal shield for billions of people over millennia, instructing the modern mind on the absolute parameters of global humanism, artistic discipline, and philosophical endurance.

Perfect For: University students and professors specializing in Eastern philosophy or comparative world literature; high school teachers updating their global humanities reading lists; and dedicated readers archiving landmark, mid-century academic anthologies.

First Published 1970. This Edition 1970 by Scott, Foresman and Company