Subject
Chinese literature -- History and criticism Books
Best books
Herbert Allen Giles
A History of Chinese Literature
"A History of Chinese Literature" by Herbert Allen Giles is a literary history published in 1901. This groundbreaking work was the first comprehensive survey of Chinese literature to appear in English. Giles devoted much of the book to translations, allowing Chinese authors to "speak for themselves" to Western readers. While later scholars criticized its scope and occasional misinterpretations, the work became influential, notably serving as source material for Ezra Pound's translations and opening Chinese literary traditions to English-speaking audiences.
Xie Liu
文心雕龍
"文心雕龍" by Xie Liu is a work on Chinese literary aesthetics composed in the 5th century. Written in fifty chapters based on principles from the I Ching, this text presents a complete and internally consistent account of literature. Liu Xie argues that affections are the medium of literature while language is merely the product. The work engages with and challenges earlier literary theory, particularly Lu Ji's 3rd-century "On Literature."
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