Lore and Verse

Yue Zhang is Associate Professor of Chinese Literature at the University of Macau.

• Terms and ConventionsThe Chronology of Chinese DynastiesAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. What Are Poems on History in Early Medieval China?2. Retrospective Memory and Zuo Si's "Poems on History"3. Prospective Memory and the Reception of Zuo Si's "Yongshi" in Early Medieval China4. Tao Yuanming's Perspectives on Life as Reflected in His Poems on History5. Cultural Memory and Xie Zhan's Poem on Zhang Liang6. Approaches to Lore in the "Yongshi" Section of the Wen xuanConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

"Zhang's study carefully draws and expands on a broad array of existing scholarship and opens up new venues for exploring the interplay among political, historical, social, and literary forces in the development of a poetic subgenre in early medieval China. It is to be commended for its well-presented arguments, lucid exposition, accurate and literary translations, and utilization of less well-known as well as familiar sources. This welcome contribution should be of great interest to scholars of early medieval Chinese poetic culture and memory studies." — Journal of Asian Studies"Zhang's work has enriched our understanding of the history of poetic language and Chinese literature and culture while bringing the Chinese literary tradition into a larger conversation about memory and identity with many other cultures and eras." — Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture"By illuminating the mutually influenced relationship between history and poetry, Zhang's book thus provides an entirely new perspective and framework for people to understand how poetry as a medium of transmitting culture is shaped by and, in turn, shapes cultural memory." — Asia-Pacific Social Science Review"In this illuminating investigation of yongshi shi and cultural memory, Yue Zhang provides fresh insight into the conventions and purposes of a long-standing subgenre in the Chinese poetic tradition and sheds light on the functions of poetry in transmitting and reshaping history. Lore and Verse opens up new avenues for exploring the interplay among political, historical, social, and literary forces in early medieval China." —Xiaoshan Yang, University of Notre Dame"This is an original contribution to the field of poetics and literary studies in early and medieval China, especially to the neglected subgenre of to poems on history (yongshi shi). While there are many extant studies on the poetry from this historical period, none explore the role of cultural and historical memory in this level of detail. Written in clear, jargon-free prose, the book offers a good balance between easy access and sophisticated arguments." — David Chai, author of Zhuangzi and the Becoming of Nothingness"As the first monograph in English on Yongshi shi (poems on history), this book offers a skillful examination of this important subgenre in traditional Chinese poetry through the lens of cultural memory. Not only does it present a new scenario for the unfolding of the dynamic relationship between poetry and history, it also convincingly shows how the past is collectively constructed and reconstructed in the poetic space in early medieval China. Strongly recommended for anyone who is interested in Chinese poetry and memory studies." — Ji Hao, author of The Reception of Du Fu (712-770) and His Poetry in Imperial China