Draft History of the Study of Ci Poetry in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Author: Zhu Huiguo, Liu Mingyu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This academic history of literature focuses on "comprehensiveness" and "breadth." It is composed of five chronological volumes: Tang and Five Dynasties, Northern Song, Southern Song, Jin and Yuan, and Ming and Qing. It is a comprehensive history of Ci literature studies. The editors and authors set out with the intention of meticulously examining the research status of each historical period, identifying its research characteristics and regular phenomena, thereby outlining a "historical" narrative. They aimed to present as authentically and clearly as possible the entire process of Ci literature studies over a thousand years, laying a foundation for future, more comprehensive academic histories of Ci studies.
By broadly reviewing the entire manuscript and selectively reading the "introductions" and key chapters of each volume, the authors found that the editors and contributors had largely achieved their academic goals. Additionally, by summarizing and describing the academic concepts, research methods, approaches, and discursive expressions of Ci scholars throughout history, the book offers valuable references for contemporary scholars. Furthermore, since it provides a basic overview of the research status of each historical period, it saves contemporary scholars considerable effort in searching and avoids some repetition in topic selection and research.
Of course, this book still has some shortcomings, primarily: the discussion of certain important theoretical issues and specialized problems in Ci studies is not entirely accurate; some volumes present excessive material with fewer personal interpretations and evaluations.