Sociology of Literature

Luo Shijin is Professor at the School of Literature of Soochow University, China. Luo is a leading figure in the field of ancient literature, and he served as the Dean of the C.W. Chu Academy at Soochow University, Director of the Institute of Classical Literature at Soochow University. His main research interests lie in the poetry and prose of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as regional and clan literature.

“The result of decades of research, this substantial book paints an extraordinarily rich canvas of Chinese poetry and prose during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is not a linear history but a lively panorama: an exploration of literary form in its social context – from clans and local communities to regional literary societies and the imperial court.”Theo Hermans, Emeritus Professor of University College London

• 1. Clan Literature Research: Logical Starting Point and Perspectives 2. The “Mingled Differential Mode” and “Multi-layered Literary Creation” in the Poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties 3. Local Community: An Important Dimension of the Poetry and Prose of the Ming and Qing Dynasties 4. Grassroots Writing: Regional Literary Societies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties 5. “Commoner Literary Power”: The Evolution of the Writer in the Ming and Qing Dynasties 6. “Year-End Sacrifice of/to Poetry” as a Form of Literary Criticism in the Qing Dynasty 7. Literary Bonds and Reverence for the Power of Literature among Jiangnan Intellectuals 8. Si Ren Zi Tu: Poems of Praise in the Portrait Painting of Qing Poets 9. The Imperial Examinations (keju): The Best System or the Worst? 10. The Long-Term Cultural Mechanism of the Eight-Legged Essay 11. Shaping the Literature of the Ming Dynasty in the Smoke of Burning Scripts 12. Social Awareness and Literary Activities: Exploring the Burning of Scripts in the Qing Dynasty 13. An Overview of the Poetry and Related Accounts of the Diaoyu Islands in the Ming and Qing Dynasties 14. The Impact of the Avunculate on Jiangnan Literature in the Qing Dynasty 15. The Gao Clan of Jinshan and the Pre-South-Society Period 16. The Formation of Jiangnan Market Towns and Related Literary Communities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties 17. By Lake and River: The Locations of Literary Creation in Jiangnan Literary Societies in the Qing Dynasty 18. The Literary Circle of the Huaihai Area (Yangzhou Prefecture) in the Qing Dynasty and Its Poetry Genealogy 19. Model Character and the Writing of Local Knowledge: The Nature and Textual Characteristics of Quan Zuwang’s Poetry 20. The Court Intelligentsia’s Presence and Departure: A Case Study of Dou Guangnai in the Qing Dynasty 21. Mirroring the Poetic Heart from the Late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China Era: A Case Study of Xu Zhaowei’s Selected Poems from Hongyin Mansion