Seven Lectures on Wang Guoweis Renjian Cihua [Hardcover]

Renjian cihua is a masterpiece of literary criticism written by Wang Guowei (18771927), a scholar of the Chinese classics who lived during the late Qing and early Republican periods. Since its publication in 1908 and 1909, it has been one of the most influential academic works in China. Elegantly written, Wangs set of remarks on ci poetry (cihua) retains a traditional Chinese impressionistic critical approach, and can present difficulties to the common reader. This set of lectures by Florence Chia-ying Yeh explains the text to readers, making accessible Wangs famous theory of jingjie ( aesthetic realm or artistic conception ), his views on how the ci differs from the shi genre of Chinese poetry, and his critical judgments of various famous ci poets from the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song periods. The lectures are presented here in an English translation by Maija Bell Samei.

Translators preface

Lecture 1 Wang Guowei, the Ci Genre, and the notion of Jingjie

Lecture 2 Distinctives of the Ci cenre, part I

Lecture 3 Layers of meaning in the Ci: double gender, double context

Lecture 4 Distinctives of the Ci genre, part II: major poets of the late Tang and Five Dynasties: Wen Tingyun and Wei Zhuang

Lecture 5 Major poets of the late Tang and Five Dynasties: Wen Tingyun and Feng Yansi

Lecture 6 Major poets of the Five Dynasties and Song: Li Yu, Liu Yong, and Su Shi

Lecture 7 Reflections onl3I