The collapse of heaven : the Taiping Civil War and Chinese literature and culture, 1850-1880 / Huan Jin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jin, Huan, author.

Series:

Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series ; 141.

Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series ; 141

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese literature--19th century--History and criticism.

Chinese literature.

War and literature--China--History--19th century.

War and literature.

War in literature.

China--History--Taiping Rebellion, 1850-1864--Literature and the rebellion.

China.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Physical Description:

xii, 339 pages : color illustrations, map ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Taiping Civil War and Chinese literature and culture, 1850-1880

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Asia Center, 2024.

Summary:

"The Collapse of Heaven investigates a long-neglected century in Chinese literature through the lens of the Taiping War (1851-1864), one of the most devastating civil wars in human history. With the war as the pivot, Huan Jin examines the manifold literary and cultural transformations that occurred from the 1850s to the 1880s. The book analyzes a wide range of writings-proselytizing pamphlets, diaries, poetry, a full-length novel, drama, and short stories-with a particular emphasis on the materiality of these texts as well as their production and dissemination. Tracing allusions to political turbulences across many genres, Jin discusses how late imperial Chinese literary and cultural paradigms began to unravel under conditions of extreme violence and tracks the unexpected reinventions of literary conventions that marked the beginning of Chinese literary modernity. In addition to making a significant contribution to Chinese studies, this book offers an important comparative perspective on the global nineteenth century and engages with broad scholarly discussions on religion, violence, narrative, history, gender, theater, and media studies."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I. Competing Visions of Heaven and Hell

Heavenly Visions: The Taiping Alternative

Revelations from Hell: A Qing Answer

Order in Disorder: Personal Accounts of War

Part II. Making Sense of the Past and the Future

Traces of History: A Literati Novel and Its Precedents

Violence in Drama: The Reinvention of Community

Fantasies: Transcendence and Defiance.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674295872

0674295870

OCLC:

1396060210