The Poet-historian Qian Qianyi

This book is the first English language study of Qian Qianyi (1582-1664) - a poet and literary critic during the Ming-Qing dynastic transition. Although Qian’s works constitute some of the greatest achievements in pre-modern Chinese lyric poetry, they have been largely understudied and are poorly understood. Qian was reputed for his own aesthetic that changed the character of late Ming and early Qing poetry. His name, however, was branded with infamy for his disloyalty to the Ming dynasty when it dissolved. Consequently, his works were censored by the Qing court and have been forgotten by most critics until recently.
Lawrence C.H Yim focuses on Qian’s poetic theory and practice, providing a critical study of Qian’s theory of poetic-history (shishi) and a group of poems from the Toubi ji. He also examines the role played by history in early Qing verse, rethinking the nature of loyalism and historical memory in seventeenth-century China. Poetry of the Ming-Qing transition is distinguished by its manifest historical consciousness and the effort and give meaning to current historical events, an effort characterized by the pathos of introspection and mourning for the past..This pathos translates into what can be called a poetics of Ming loyalism, exemplified and championed by, intriguingly, the later works of Qian Qianyi himself.

Lawrence C. H. Yim received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is now Associate Research Fellow in the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica, and Associate Professor of Chinese Literature, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. He has published articles on Ming-Qing poetry and literary theory and criticism.

Introduction Part 1: Qian Qianyi’s Theory Of Shishi And Historical Contexts 1. Qian Qianyi’s Theory Of Shishi and Poetics of Ming Loyalism 2. Qian Qianyi’s Reception in Qing Times Part 2: "Renouncing The Pen For The Sword", Three Readings Of Qian Qianyi’s Shishi 3. The Prophesying Poet-Historian 4. The Poet As Mentor and Strategist 5. Loyalty and Love at Parting. Conclusion