Browsing by Subject "I Ching"

Hermann Hesse was the most prominent German writer in the twentieth century. His writing was influenced by Eastern culture, especially the Chinese Philosophy. In Hesse’s later creation, Chinese Philosophy became one of the main sources for his inspiration, moreover, the canonical Taoist and Confucian texts appeared to be the precious primitive texts for Hesse’s appropriation. His final novel Das Glasperlenspiel, translated into The Glass Bead Game by Richard and Clara Winston, is a representative work that shows a crucial step in Hermann Hesse’s comprehension and presentation of ancient Chinese Philosophy from Taoist and Confucian perspectives. The thesis firstly analyzes Hesse’s encounter with Eastern culture and his digestion of Chinese Philosophy. He attained spiritual enlightenment in the wisdom of ancient Chinese philosophers in the Western context, hence Chinese Philosophy in Hesse’s perspective was not a school of philosophy as a whole, but a precise resource that was full of enlightened philosophical thoughts. Based on Hesse’s personal background, the specific appropriated elements of Chinese Philosophy are grounded in the textual analysis of The Glass Bead Game. Hesse was inspired by the doctrine of “music power” in Lü Buwei’s Spring and Autumn. He borrowed I Ching hexagrams to portray the oracular game played by the protagonist of the novel. The Taoist motifs of spiritual freedom and naturalness was borrowed as the fundamental themes throughout the novel. After examining the borrowings and recreations in Hesse’s novels, an investigation is conducted to discuss the reception of Hermann Hesse in China during 1988-2015. Even though Hesse’s novels were not prevailing among the general public, he was increasingly acknowledged and valued in the academic field in China.