The Five Classics associated with Confucius formed the core curriculum in the education of Chinese literati throughout most of the imperial period. In this book Michael Nylan offers a sweeping assessment of these ancient texts and shows how their influence spread across East Asia.Nylan begins by tracing the formation of the Five Classics canon in the pre-Han and Han periods, 206 B.C.A.D. 220, revising standard views on the topic. She assesses the impact on this canon of the inve...