David R. McCraw
Chinese Lyricists of the Seventeenth Century.
University of Hawai'i Press, 1990. First printing. 0824812794 xii/193 pages.
Volume, measuring approximately 5.75" x 8.75", is bound in red cloth, with stamped gilt lettering to spine. Names of previous owners are discreetly stamped in upper outside corner of half title page. Book and dust jacket are otherwise like new. Jacket is preserved in mylar cover.
"Chinese Lyricists of the Seventeenth Century" introduces to Western readers an important but neglected body of Chinese verse by translating and evaluating the work of six early Qing lyricists - poets who revived a dormant poetic genre and restored it to vigorous health.
The seventeenth century saw the collapse of a Chinese dynasty and the imposition of alien rule in China. McCraw's introduction outlines the historical setting and describes the cultural matrix that engendered the rebirth of the lyric genre in this turbulent age. From the martyr Chen Zilong and the turncoat Wu Weiye to the philosopher Wang Fuzhi and the esthete Chen Weisong, the early Qing lyricists responded in various ways to the pressures of the time but were united in their devotion to their art.
The final chapters of the book feature the lyrics of the "new men" who enjoyed favor at the Qing court - the southern erudite Zhu Yizun and the Manchu officer Nalan Singde, arguably the greatest lyricist of the age.
While it may be argued that the early Qing lyricists did not equal their Song dynasty predecessors in creative originality, this illuminating study demonstrates how the beauty and refinement of their lyrics have greatly enriched China's literary heritage."