Yüan Hung-tao and the Kung-an School

by Chih-P'ing Chou

Overview

Professor Chou here offers a new perspective on the rise and fall of the Kung-an School as a key to understanding the development of Chinese literary criticism in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. His book focuses on the literary theories of Yúan Hung-tao (1568-1610)—the leader of the Kung-an School—and his two brothers. Its core is a detailed study of the poetry and prose of Yúan Hung-tao, comparing his theories with his writings and analyzing systematically the merits and flaws of his work. The volume concludes with a discussion of the legacy of the Kung-an School, treating the School not only as the major force behind the expressive trend in the late Ming period, but also as one of the precursors of the modern Chinese literary movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521342070
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/31/1988
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Chinese History, Literature and Institutions
Pages:	182
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. The literary scene before the rise of the Kung-an school; 2. The literary theories of the three Yüan brothers; 3. The poetry of Yüan Hung-tao; 4. The prose of Yüan Hung-tao; Epilogue: the legacy of the Kung-an school; Notes; The modern study of the three Yüan brothers and their Kung-an school: an introduction and select bibliography; Chinese titles of works translated; Glossary index.