A Concise History of Chinese Literature Brill’s Humanities in China Library Edited by Zhang Longxi, City University of Hong Kong Axel Schneider, Leiden University VOLUME 4/1 A Concise History of Chinese Literature Volume 1 By Luo Yuming Translated with Annotations and an Introduction by Ye Yang LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 This book is the result of a copublication agreement between Fudan University Press and Koninklijke Brill NV. This work was translated into English from the original <<骆玉明: 简明中 国文学史>> (Luo Yuming, A Concise History of Chinese Literature). This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Luo, Yuming, 1951– [Jian ming Zhongguo wen xue shi. English] A concise history of Chinese literature / by Luo Yuming ; translated by Ye Yang. p. cm. — (Brill’s humanities in China library ; v. 4) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-20366-2 (set : hbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-90-04-20368-6 (v. 1 : hbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-90-04-20369-3 (v. 2 : hbk. : alk. paper) 1. Chinese literature—History and criticism. I. Ye, Yang, 1948– II. Title. PL2264.L9313 2011 895.1’09—dc22 2011000381 ISSN 1874-8023 ISBN 978 90 04 20366 2, set ISBN 978 90 04 20368 6, volume one ISBN 978 90 04 20369 3, volume two Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. CONTENTS Volume 1 Introduction (Ye Yang) ...................................................................... ix Glossary ........................................................................................... xix References ....................................................................................... xxi Author’s Preface .................................................................................. xxiii Chapter One The Early Period of Chinese Literature: The Formation of Its Characteristics ........................................... 1 1. Culture in the Shang and Zhou Period: A Synopsis ............. 1 2. Ancient Mythology ................................................................... 6 3. The Undertakers of Early Literature ....................................... 8 4. The Spoken and the Written Language as Factors ............... 13 Chapter Two The Book of Songs and The Songs of the South ..... 15 1. The Book of Songs ...................................................................... 15 2. The Songs of the South .............................................................. 30 Chapter Three Prose of the Pre-Qin Age ..................................... 51 1. Historical Prose ......................................................................... 51 2. Prose of the Masters ................................................................. 62 Chapter Four The Rhapsody of the Qin and Han ....................... 75 1. The Background of the Flourish of the Rhapsody and Its Characteristics ..................................................................... 76 2. The Rhapsody of the Qin and the Western Han ................... 80 3. The Rhapsody of the Eastern Han .......................................... 92 Chapter Five The Prose of the Qin and Han ............................... 101 1. Prose of Argumentation .......................................................... 102 2. Lyrical Prose .............................................................................. 107 3. Historical Records and History of the Han ............................. 112 vi contents Chapter Six Poetry of the Han Dynasty ....................................... 125 1. The Rise of Chu Songs ............................................................. 125 2. The Formation of Pentasyllabic and Heptasyllabic Poetry ......................................................................................... 127 3. The “Nineteen Old Poems” and Others ................................. 131 4. The Music Bureau Poetry ........................................................ 136 Chapter Seven Literature of the Wei-Jin Period ......................... 147 1. The Social Trend and Literary Consciousness of the Wei-Jin Period .................................................................... 147 2. Poetry and Prose of the Jian’an Period ................................... 152 3. Poetry and Prose of the Zhengshi Period .............................. 166 4. Poetry and Prose of the Western Jin ...................................... 172 5. Poetry and Prose of the Eastern Jin ........................................ 180 6. Fiction of the Wei-Jin Period .................................................. 189 Chapter Eight Literature of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty ..................................................... 193 1. Trends of Literary Thought during the Northern & Southern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty .............................. 194 2. Poetry and Prose of the Liu-Song Dynasty ........................... 203 3. Poetry and Prose of the Qi and Liang Dynasties .................. 214 4. Poetry and Prose of Northern Dynasties, the Chen, and the Sui ........................................................................................ 233 5. The Folk Song of the Music Bureau of the Northern & Southern Dynasties .................................................................. 254 6. Fiction of the Northern & Southern Dynasties .................... 261 Chapter Nine Poetry and Prose of the Early and the High Tang ....................................................................................... 267 1. Poetry of the Early Tang .......................................................... 268 2. Poetry of the High Tang ........................................................... 279 3. The Variations of the Prose of the Early and the High Tang .................................................................................. 305 Chapter Ten Poetry and Prose of the Mid-Tang and Late Tang ......................................................................................... 309 1. Mid-Tang Poetry ....................................................................... 310 2. Late Tang Poetry ....................................................................... 360 3. Prose of the Mid-Tang and the Late Tang ............................. 376 contents vii Chapter Eleven Tales of the Marvelous and Popular Literature of the Tang Dynasty ....................................................................... 391 1. Tales of the Marvelous of the Tang Dynasty ......................... 392 2. Popular Literature of the Tang Dynasty ................................. 405 Chapter Twelve Song Lyrics of the Tang, the Five Dynasties, and the Northern Song ................................................................. 411 1. Song Lyrics of the Tang Dynasty ............................................ 411 2. Songs Lyrics of the Five Dynasties ......................................... 419 3. Song Lyrics of the Northern Song Dynasty ........................... 428 Chapter Thirteen Poetry and Prose of the Northern Song ........ 459 1. Cultural Background of Northern Song Poetry and Prose ................................................................................. 459 2. Poetry and Prose of the Early Northern Song ...................... 466 3. Poetry and Prose of the Middle Northern Song ................... 474 4. Poetry of the Late Northern Song .......................................... 497 Chapter Fourteen Literature of the Southern Song and the Jin Dynasty ............................................................................... 507 1. Poetry and Song Lyric of the Early Southern Song .............. 508 2. Poetry and Song Lyric of the Middle Period of the Southern Song ........................................................................... 519 3. Poetry and Song Lyric of the Late Southern Song ............... 538 4. Fiction and Drama of the Song Dynasty ............................... 557 5. Literature of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty .................................... 563 Volume 2 Chapter Fifteen Literature of the Yuan Dynasty ......................... 573 1. The Variety Play of the Earlier Yuan Period .......................... 575 2. The Variety Play of the Later Yuan Period ............................ 593 3. The Southern Play of the Yuan Dynasty ................................ 597 4. The Individual Aria of the Yuan Dynasty .............................. 605 5. Poetry and Prose of the Yuan Dynasty .................................. 617 6. Fiction of the Yuan Dynasty .................................................... 634 Chapter Sixteen Poetry and Prose of the Ming Dynasty ........... 653 1. Poetry and Prose of the Early Ming Period ........................... 655 viii contents 2. Poetry and Prose of the Mid-Ming Period ............................ 664 3. Poetry and Prose of the Late Ming ........................................