Dr. Patricia Berger UCBerkeley lectures: The Moral of the Story; Narrative Art in Early China

SAA Lecture with Patricia Berger. “The Moral of the Story:  Narrative Art in Early China.  Key Terms:  Myth, ritual, story, Narrative Syntax; seriation (continuous narrative); exemplification(monoscenes)...justaposition, parallelism, multivalence.  She distinguishes between cyclical time(seasons cycles) and temporal time, or linear chronological narrative time as well as intersecting temporal times versus lineage continuity.  

She makes a point that Buddahs are always identical, with attributes, due to story. . 

Patricia  also makes major point that the images : instruct about by a  model and  are warnings about what "not to do",  Other major work is T-shaped Silk Painting. Tomb of Lady Dai. W. Han cs 180 BCE  Mawangdui.  Changsha Hunan.  Hunan Provincial Museum.  

Pensive Maitryeas.  Dunhuang Cave 254 (N Wei, ca 470) Central Image Maitrya Buddah.  She concentrates on Pensive Maitryea, marble N Qi, 551, at AAM, one of its masterworks.  Relief of Karmic Self burdens.  


Ritual performance is a focus.  We see  the   Shrine of Wu Liang. E. Han. 151 CE.  Shandong.  Cultural Heroes (Fu Xi and Nu Wa, the Yellow Emperor) and moral paragons, (The Virtuous Woman of Liang)who cuts off her nose to spite her face and drive away her suitors; she was married and will not marry again – that is her virtue.  Nancy makes point that virtue concept was different in China for women.   She compares this to “ritual performance”.   

Recommended reading:  Esther Jacobson(Univ of Oregon; I met her in Mongolia) “The Structure of Narrative in Early Chinese Pictorial Vessels”, Representations 8 (Fall 1984): 61-83  

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