Chinese poetry as soul summoning / Nicholas Morrow Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Nicholas Morrow, author.

Contributor:

Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

Series:

Cambria sinophone world series

Language:

Chinese

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese poetry--History and criticism.

Chinese poetry.

Soul in literature.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

x, 264 pages ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Chinese poetry as soul summoning : Shamanistic religious influences on Chinese literary tradition

Place of Publication:

Amherst, New York : Cambria Press, [2022]

Language Note:

Text in English ; with poems in parallel Chinese and English translation.

Summary:

"This study examines the role of the soul (hun) and the soul-summoning ritual in Chinese literature from ancient times up to the twentieth century. With five case studies from different dynasties, spanning ancient Chu and the Han, Tang, Song, and Ming-Qing transition periods, Chinese Poetry as Soul Summoning shows Chinese poets were inspired by the belief in a soul that could be transported away from the body. On one hand, this provided a model for literature, as a therapeutic means of summoning back wayward souls; on the other, it inspired the imaginative range and formal structures of literary works, which followed the soul's journey from the individual person throughout the world and into the heavens. This study argues that the religious dimensions of Chinese poetry have not been sufficiently examined. The conception of the separable soul is a distinctive and perennial theme that has considerable explanatory reach in understanding traditional Chinese culture. Chinese Poetry as Soul Summoning will be a valuable addition to students and scholars of Chinese culture, comparative literature, and religious studies"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: the hun and other souls in China

Divination and the interpretation of souls in the Chuci

Far roamings in the Han Dynasty

Scents and sensations of the soul in the Song Ci

Reviving the dead in the 17th century

Coda.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Williams, Nicholas Morrow. Chinese poetry as soul summoning

ISBN:

9781621966234

1621966232

OCLC:

1296690827

Publisher Number:

99991672892