Title

Wang Shizhen (1634-1711) and the “New" Canon

Author

Kang-i Sun Chang

Genre

Article  

Pages

305-320

Download

PDF

Language

English

Key words

literary canon, Wang Shizhen, spiritual resonance, Qian Qianyi, partisan views, “entering Zen", Zhao Zhixin, Qian Zhongshu, Yuan Mei, “great authors", “popular authors"

Abstract

  The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Wang Shizhen's poetics of shenyun 神韻 (spiritual resonance) came to occupy a canonical position in literary judgment during early Qing, and how its gradual canonization resulted from both aesthetic and political discourses of the time. The article also discusses how Wang Shizhen became one of those great authors who constantly revised their own writings until the last moments of their lives.