The Magic Cube Of Ancient Chinese Poetry

"This book focuses on the linguistic perspective of classical Chinese poetry and its changes and development in different historical periods. It offers a combination of theoretical analysis and aesthetic appreciation of exemplary poems. The author discusses the following aspects of classical Chinese poetry: the relationships between background and meaning in the interpretation of a poem; how readers can deal with the tangle of linguistic approach and intuitive perception in interpreting poems; the engagement and disengagement of the poet's thought flow with and from the word order of the verse; the tonal and metrical schemes; the three special features of classical Chinese poetry: the significance and role of allusions, "Xu Zi", and "Shi Yan". Lastly, the author analyses the development of Chinese Poetry from the Vernacular Song Dynasty Style to the Vernacular Modern Style. It will be a great read for students and scholars of East Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, Linguistics, and those interested in Chinese poetry in general. The book aims to lead readers to discover a fresh and amazing world of classical Chinese poetry, a fantastic panoramic picture of its beauty and charm, and a poetic feast that the reader may not otherwise be privileged to enjoy"--

This book focuses on the linguistic perspective of classical Chinese poetry and its changes and development in diff erent historical periods. It off ers a combination of theoretical analysis and aesthetic appreciation of exemplary poems. The author discusses the following aspects of classical Chinese poetry: the relationships between background and meaning in the interpretation of a poem; how readers can deal with the tangle of linguistic approach and intuitive perception in interpreting poems; the engagement and disengagement of the poet’s thought fl ow with and from the word order of the verse; the tonal and metrical schemes; and the three special features of classical Chinese poetry: the signifi cance and role of allusions, “Xu Zi”, and “Shi Yan”. Last, the author analyses the development of Chinese poetry from the Vernacular Song Dynasty Style to the Vernacular Modern Style. It will be a great read for students and scholars of East Asian studies, Chinese studies, linguistics, and those interested in Chinese poetry in general. The book aims to lead readers to discover a fresh and amazing world of classical Chinese poetry, a fantastic panoramic picture of its beauty and charm, and a poetic feast that the reader may not otherwise be privileged to enjoy.

As the second volume of a two-volume set on Chinese narratology, this title investigates the quintessential characteristics of the Chinese narrative style, with a focus on image and perspective. The first chapter introduces two opposing concepts of perspective: “focalization” and “blind spot,” to connect “perspective” with traditional aesthetics, highlighting the mutual relation of the nonexistent and the existent. The author believes that both the narrator and perspective are central to the narrative forms and strategies adopted by Chinese writers and that study of the narrator and perspective is integral to understanding the cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical connotations of the narrative text and the spiritual world of the author. Drawing on perceptual phenomenology, the chapter on image broadens the extant knowledge of “image” and points out that image narration is unique to Chinese narratology and central to Chinese aesthetics. The final chapter illustrating the achievements of influential critics of classical Chinese novels, proving that these critics have contributed to the canonization of the genuine masterpieces of Chinese narrative literature. The book is a must-read for scholars and students interested in narrative theory, Chinese culture and literature, and dialogue between Chinese and Western narratological studies.

As the first volume of a two-volume set on Chinese narratology, this title introduces the cultural fundamentals that nurture Chinese literary works and investigates the structure and time of Chinese narrative. In the introductory chapter, the author examines the intrinsic association between Chinese writers’ narrative techniques and China’s cultural background by putting forward a Principle of Duixing to facilitate the study of those techniques and three steps to revisit Chinese narrative. Based on Western narrative theories and a close reading of outstanding Chinese literary classics, the volume focuses on structure and time in Chinese narrative. The first part on structure (jiegou) identifies five essential themes to analyze the dual dynamic structure of Chinese narrative. In terms of aspects of time, the author demonstrates how the holistic view of time and space in the Chinese tradition influences the chronological framework of narratives and shapes the outset of a story. The book is a must-read for scholars and students interested in narrative theory, Chinese culture and literature, and the dialogue between Chinese and Western narratological studies.

This book provides a concise introduction to the intellectual trends in contemporary Chinese literature from the 1950s to the 1990s and the influence of overseas Sinology. The turbulent period of the second half of the 20th century in China witnessed a significant societal shift from a revolutionary to an economic focus. This transformation introduced and stimulated various ideas, reshaping public thought and reconstructing the historical landscape of contemporary Chinese literature. This book explores the response and self-exploration of domestic literary studies of the period, which were heavily influenced by the Western academic tradition and overseas Sinology studies. It examines critical phenomena, figures, and events in this context. The author's narrative vividly illustrates the interplay and dialogue of factors such as revolution, reform and opening up, and the rise of literature in the 1980s and 1990s. Combining the methodologies of literary and social history, and integrating personal historical experience with rigorous academic methods, this book provides a unique research framework for revisiting the cultural scene of the period. The title will appeal to scholars and students of contemporary Chinese literature and history. It will also attract general readers interested in Chinese culture and society in the 1980s and 1990s.

This title is a thorough introduction to ethical literary criticism, defined as a critical methodology to interpret literature from the perspective of ethics, with the whole set of concepts and theories elucidated and textual analyses provided. While building on ideas from both western ethical criticism and the Chinese tradition of moral criticism, ethical literary criticism acts as a counterpoint to the former's lack of theoretical foundations and applicable methodologies and the latter's tendency to make subjective moral judgments. Developed into a coherent theoretical framework, it asserts the ethical nature and edifying function of literature and thereby seeks to highlight in the literary text the ethical relationship and moral order among human beings and within society in the historical context. Though provocative to a degree, the arguments and methodological toolbox used inject a unique ethical dimension into literary criticism and will help readers understand anew the ethical and social potency of literature. The book's theoretical elucidation, examples from practical criticism and introduction to key terminologies make this book an essential guide for students and general readers interested in ethical literary criticism and a valuable read for scholars of literary criticism, ethical criticism and literary theory.

This book argues that the most profound and far-reaching effects of Buddhism on Chinese culture occurred at the level of practice, specifically in religious rituals designed to cure people of disease, demonic possession, and bad luck. This practice would leave its most lasting imprint on the liturgical tradition of Taoism. In focusing on religious practice, the book provides a corrective to traditional studies of Chinese religion, which overemphasize metaphysics and spirituality.