After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the rise of a vernacular language movement, mo... more After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the rise of a vernacular language movement, most scholars and writers declared the classical Chinese poetic tradition to be dead. But how could a longstanding high poetic form simply grind to a halt, even in the face of tumultuous social change? In this groundbreaking book, Shengqing Wu explores the transformation of Chinese classical-style poetry in the early twentieth century. Drawing on extensive archival research into the poetry collections and literary journals of two generations of poets and critics, Wu discusses the continuing significance of the classical form with its densely allusive and intricately wrought style. She combines close readings of poems with a depiction of the cultural practices their authors participated in, including poetry gatherings, the use of mass media, international travel, and translation, to show how the lyrical tradition was a dynamic force fully capable of engaging with modernity. By examining the works and activities of previously neglected poets who maintained their commitment to traditional aesthetic ideals, "Modern Archaics "illuminates the splendor of Chinese lyricism and highlights the mutually transformative power of the modern and the archaic.
Abstract:Through the examination of a select body of classical-style poems that are inscribed on ... more Abstract:Through the examination of a select body of classical-style poems that are inscribed on or written about photographs of the self in the modern era, this article delves into the intertwined issues of the self, affect, and autobiographical writing. It first explores the ethical implications of “poems on photographs of the self” (ziti xiaozhao 自題小照) and the issue of temporality involved in the confrontation with a self-image and subsequent writing about the image. Second, it focuses on the issue of the self as other, as well as fractures and the instability of modern subjectivity as amplified in visual self-encounters. In so doing, the article attempts to offer a new understanding of the self/image and text/image dynamic, with insight into the cultural and affective articulations of the self in the context of a new visual culture in modern China.
In this essay, a scholar and a translator, both specialists in Chinese literature, team up to exp... more In this essay, a scholar and a translator, both specialists in Chinese literature, team up to explore the work of a powerful voice in contemporary Chinese poetry. Chi Lingyun is known for drawing on personal experiences to distill images ranging from her rural upbringing to urban daily life to illuminate a feminism-infused meditation on the broad themes of suffering and loss.
After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the rise of a vernacular language movement, mo... more After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the rise of a vernacular language movement, most scholars and writers declared the classical Chinese poetic tradition to be dead. But how could a longstanding high poetic form simply grind to a halt, even in the face of tumultuous social change? In this groundbreaking book, Shengqing Wu explores the transformation of Chinese classical-style poetry in the early twentieth century. Drawing on extensive archival research into the poetry collections and literary journals of two generations of poets and critics, Wu discusses the continuing significance of the classical form with its densely allusive and intricately wrought style. She combines close readings of poems with a depiction of the cultural practices their authors participated in, including poetry gatherings, the use of mass media, international travel, and translation, to show how the lyrical tradition was a dynamic force fully capable of engaging with modernity. By examining the works and activities of previously neglected poets who maintained their commitment to traditional aesthetic ideals, "Modern Archaics "illuminates the splendor of Chinese lyricism and highlights the mutually transformative power of the modern and the archaic.
Abstract:Through the examination of a select body of classical-style poems that are inscribed on ... more Abstract:Through the examination of a select body of classical-style poems that are inscribed on or written about photographs of the self in the modern era, this article delves into the intertwined issues of the self, affect, and autobiographical writing. It first explores the ethical implications of “poems on photographs of the self” (ziti xiaozhao 自題小照) and the issue of temporality involved in the confrontation with a self-image and subsequent writing about the image. Second, it focuses on the issue of the self as other, as well as fractures and the instability of modern subjectivity as amplified in visual self-encounters. In so doing, the article attempts to offer a new understanding of the self/image and text/image dynamic, with insight into the cultural and affective articulations of the self in the context of a new visual culture in modern China.
In this essay, a scholar and a translator, both specialists in Chinese literature, team up to exp... more In this essay, a scholar and a translator, both specialists in Chinese literature, team up to explore the work of a powerful voice in contemporary Chinese poetry. Chi Lingyun is known for drawing on personal experiences to distill images ranging from her rural upbringing to urban daily life to illuminate a feminism-infused meditation on the broad themes of suffering and loss.
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