The Poetic Way of XIE Lingyun: Literary Expression and the Natural World

＂During the dark centuries between the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 CE and the golden age of reunified China under the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279), the shi poetic form embraced new themes and structure. In this meticulously constructed study, Ping Wang traces the social conditions that sparked innovation and marked a significant turn in intellectual history. Segueing among biography, social history, and literary analysis, she demonstrates how this form came to dominate classical Chinese poetry, making possible the works of the great poets of later dynasties and influencing literary development in Korea and Japan as well＂-- Provided by publisher.

Ping Wang is professor of Asian languages at the University of Washington. She is author of The Age of Courtly Writing: Wen xuan Compiler Xiao Tong (501-531) and His Circle.