Beacon Fire and Shooting Star
Subtitle: The Literary Culture of the Liang (502-557) (Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series)
Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center
Published: December 30, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 450
ISBN-13: 9780674026025
Subjects: Literary studies: general; Asia - China; Asian - Chinese; Literary Criticism / Asian / Chinese; Philosophy; Literary Criticism; 221 B.C.-960 A.D; China; Chinese literature; Civilization; History and criticism; Northern and Southern dynasties, 386-589
Description: "The Liang dynasty is both one of the most brilliant and creative periods in Chinese history and one of the most underestimated and misunderstood." "This book is devoted to contextualizing the literary culture of this era - not only the literary works themselves but also the physical process of literary production such as the copying and transmitting of texts; activities such as book collecting, anthologizing, cataloging, and various forms of literary scholarship; and the intricate interaction of religion, particularly Buddhism, and literature. Its aim is to explore the impact of social and political structure on the literary world. It is, in short, a social and cultural history of Liang literature that addresses a set of interrelated cultural and literary-historical issues, re-evaluates and challenges established claims about this period, and explores the reasons for its subsequent neglect and denigration."--BOOK JACKET.