The Age of Irreverence

Auteur
Christopher Rea is Associate Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia. He is the editor of Humans, Beasts, and Ghosts: Stories and Essays by Qian Zhongshu and the coeditor of T**he Business of Culture: Cultural Entrepreneurs in China and Southeast Asia, 1900–60.
 

Texte du rabat
"I am confident that it is the finest in its field to include a lyric by me."—Eric Idle

"Academic books do not always reflect their subject matter. Studies of sex, for example, are notoriously unsexy. But Mr. Rea’s book is funny, beginning with its hilarious “executive preface.""—Ian Johnson, The New York Times

"China’s tumultuous and painful history during the last two hundred years has led many of its writers to focus on heavy questions like 'What went wrong?,' 'Whose fault was it?,' and 'What can we do now?' Scholarship, both Chinese and Western, has generally followed this emphasis. Now The **Age of Irreverence *shows, in marvelous variety and detail, how laughter and raillery—not separate from the pain but complexly involved with it—infused the cultural scene as well."—Perry Link, author of *Anatomy of Chinese: Rhythm, Metaphor, Politics

"Rea's study is beautifully written and meticulously researched. At a time when western interest in and access to Chinese 'cultural products' have never been greater, books like this are essential for challenging entrenched stereotypes and fostering greater appreciation of the country."—Jonathan Sullivan, Comedy Studies