Herrlee Creel
Encyclopedia
Herrlee Glessner Creel was an American sinologist and philosopher, and authority on Confucius
. He was the Martin A. Ryerson Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor of Chinese History at the University of Chicago
. Creel was regarded as a giant among specialists on early Chinese civilization, and was described in various circles as "the doyen of American sinologists".
Creel established the University of Chicago as a leading center of East Asian Studies. His career was marked by the longevity of his publications. Although he published for half a century, most of his major books remained in print at the time of his death. The quality of his scholarship was accompanied by a prose style that was deemed to have high levels of cogency, lucidity, and grace that made his work easily accessible to the reader.
, where he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy
in 1926, an M.A. in 1927 and a PhD 1929 in Chinese Philosophy. He began his postdoctoral career as an assistant professor of psychology
at Lombard College
from 1929 to 1930. He was awarded fellowships by the American Council of Learned Societies (1930–1933), the Harvard-Yenching Institute (1931–1935) and the Rockefeller Foundation (1936, 1945 –1946). In 1936 he accepted a post at the University of Chicago, where he was an instructor in Chinese history and language from 1936 until he was appointed Assistant Professor of early Chinese literature and institutions in 1937. Creel was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1941 and full Professor in 1949. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel of military intelligence
in the United States Army
from 1943 to 1945 during the Second World War. He remained as a professor until 1964, when he became the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Chinese History until 1974).
. He also held membership of the Association for Asian Studies
and of the American Philosophical Society
. The most influential of Creel’s books include The Birth of China (1936), the first detailed account on the significance of the archaeological excavations at Anyang
, which quickly attracted global interest; Studies in Early Chinese Culture (1937) which was an influential collection of monographs; Literary Chinese by the Inductive Method, vols. 1–111 (1938–52), a groundbreaking and controversial attempt to teach literary Chinese through carefully glossed excerpts from standard classical texts; Newspaper Chinese by the Inductive Method (1943), an effort to apply identical pedagogical techniques to the analysis of Chinese newspapers; Confucius, the Man and the Myth (1949), a critical analysis of the philosopher Confucius
; Chinese Thought from Confucius to Mao Tse-tung (1953), a survey of Chinese thought; The Origins of Statecraft in China, Vol. 1: The Western Chou Empire (University of Chicago Press
, 1970), a judicial account of the polity of the Western Chou dynasty; What is Taoism? and Other Studies in Chinese Cultural History (University of Chicago Press
, 1970) and Shen Pu-hai: A Chinese Political Philosophy of the Fourth Century B.C. (1974), an important monograph on an obscure early Chinese specialist on administrative technique
His insistence on introducing students to Chinese through the ancient classical texts, without prior exposure to the modern language, remains a point of controversy. His arrival on the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1936 placed it prominently on the sinological map, where it has enjoyed a prominent place ever since.
Although Creel styled himself as a specialist on early Chinese history, the history of Chinese philosophy, and the history of Chinese ruling institutions, his scope of work was much broader, and included work in archaeology and anthropology
; epigraphy
, philology and linguistics; cultural, intellectual, economic and institutional history; and philosophy, literature and art.
Creel died at his home in Palos Park, Illinois, after a long illness, on June 1, 1994 at the age of 89.
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
. He was the Martin A. Ryerson Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor of Chinese History at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. Creel was regarded as a giant among specialists on early Chinese civilization, and was described in various circles as "the doyen of American sinologists".
Creel established the University of Chicago as a leading center of East Asian Studies. His career was marked by the longevity of his publications. Although he published for half a century, most of his major books remained in print at the time of his death. The quality of his scholarship was accompanied by a prose style that was deemed to have high levels of cogency, lucidity, and grace that made his work easily accessible to the reader.
Early years
Creel was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 19, 1905. His entire tertiary education was at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
in 1926, an M.A. in 1927 and a PhD 1929 in Chinese Philosophy. He began his postdoctoral career as an assistant professor of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Lombard College
Lombard College
-History:Lombard College was founded in 1853 by the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute. In 1855, however, a major fire damaged much of the college, placing its future at risk, but a large gift from Benjamin Lombard, an Illinois farmer and businessman, rescued the institution,...
from 1929 to 1930. He was awarded fellowships by the American Council of Learned Societies (1930–1933), the Harvard-Yenching Institute (1931–1935) and the Rockefeller Foundation (1936, 1945 –1946). In 1936 he accepted a post at the University of Chicago, where he was an instructor in Chinese history and language from 1936 until he was appointed Assistant Professor of early Chinese literature and institutions in 1937. Creel was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1941 and full Professor in 1949. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel of military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1943 to 1945 during the Second World War. He remained as a professor until 1964, when he became the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Chinese History until 1974).
Societies and publishing
Creel was a member of the Committee on Chinese Studies of the American Council of Learned Societies, a member of its Committee on Far Eastern Studies, and the President of the American Oriental SocietyAmerican Oriental Society
The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned societies in America, and is the oldest devoted to a particular field of scholarship....
. He also held membership of the Association for Asian Studies
Association for Asian Studies
The Association for Asian Studies is a U.S. society focused on facilitating contact and information exchange among scholars of Asian fields. It is the self-proclaimed largest society of its kind. The Association consists of eminent Asianists, and is a non-profit organization...
and of the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
. The most influential of Creel’s books include The Birth of China (1936), the first detailed account on the significance of the archaeological excavations at Anyang
Anyang
Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
, which quickly attracted global interest; Studies in Early Chinese Culture (1937) which was an influential collection of monographs; Literary Chinese by the Inductive Method, vols. 1–111 (1938–52), a groundbreaking and controversial attempt to teach literary Chinese through carefully glossed excerpts from standard classical texts; Newspaper Chinese by the Inductive Method (1943), an effort to apply identical pedagogical techniques to the analysis of Chinese newspapers; Confucius, the Man and the Myth (1949), a critical analysis of the philosopher Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
; Chinese Thought from Confucius to Mao Tse-tung (1953), a survey of Chinese thought; The Origins of Statecraft in China, Vol. 1: The Western Chou Empire (University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 1970), a judicial account of the polity of the Western Chou dynasty; What is Taoism? and Other Studies in Chinese Cultural History (University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 1970) and Shen Pu-hai: A Chinese Political Philosophy of the Fourth Century B.C. (1974), an important monograph on an obscure early Chinese specialist on administrative technique
Style
Creel came from a generation of sinologists who learned Chinese before any of the modern language pedagogy techniques had been developed, and before there were any reliable dictionaries to assist an understanding of the classical Chinese, rather than modern Chinese, meaning of the Chinese characters in a particular text.His insistence on introducing students to Chinese through the ancient classical texts, without prior exposure to the modern language, remains a point of controversy. His arrival on the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1936 placed it prominently on the sinological map, where it has enjoyed a prominent place ever since.
Although Creel styled himself as a specialist on early Chinese history, the history of Chinese philosophy, and the history of Chinese ruling institutions, his scope of work was much broader, and included work in archaeology and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
; epigraphy
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
, philology and linguistics; cultural, intellectual, economic and institutional history; and philosophy, literature and art.
Creel died at his home in Palos Park, Illinois, after a long illness, on June 1, 1994 at the age of 89.