Literary Studies Lecture Notes -- Century Library

Author: Wang Xinfu wrote
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Mr. Wang Xinfu (1901-1966), whose given name was Dalong and courtesy name Xinfu, styled Buan, later used his courtesy name. His ancestral home was in Xiushui, Zhejiang (now Jiaxing City), but his ancestors later moved to Wuxian, Jiangsu (now Suzhou City), making him a native of Wuxian. Born in the late Qing Dynasty, he did not undergo the imperial examination system nor receive modern education. In his youth, he studied Chinese classics under the renowned literary figure Jin Songcen of Wujiang, and later went to study Confucian classics under Jin's teacher, Cao Yuanbi of Wuxian. Cao was a former Qing Dynasty Hanlin Academy compiler, a master of Confucian classics specializing in the Three Rites, and Mr. Wang studied under him, thus developing specialized knowledge in the Three Rites. After achieving academic success, he was invited to teach at Suzhou Normal School. Later, he accepted a position as a Chinese professor at Shanghai St. John's University. In 1952, during the nationwide reorganization of academic institutions, he transferred to the Chinese Department of Fudan University. He passed away in 1966 due to pneumonia. This book is the teaching notes of the late Fudan University professor and renowned expert in classical documents, Mr. Wang Xinfu, written during his lifetime. It comprehensively discusses the general development of the study of documents from three aspects: bibliography, edition, and textual criticism. Especially noteworthy is this work, written nearly half a century ago, which uniquely recognized at the time the role of newly unearthed materials, Chinese documents preserved overseas in Japan, and the achievements of modern scholars in textual criticism.