Confucius Beyond the Analects

the long version

In this book, Michael Hunter challenges the standard view of the 'Analects' as the earliest and most authoritative source of the teachings of Confucius. Arguing from a comprehensive survey of the thousands of extant sayings and stories from the early period, Hunter situates the compilation and rise of the 'Analects' in the Western Han period (206 BCE-9 CE), roughly three centuries after the death of Confucius. As a study of the growth and development of the Confucius figure over the course of the early period, the book is also meant to serve as a roadmap to those interested in exploring the wealth and diversity of Confucius material beyond the 'Analects'.