Ancient and Modern Discourses on Ci Poetry

王又华Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.7

Word count: 9.6K words
Chapters: 27

Summary

Compiled by Wang Youhua of the Qing dynasty. Wang, courtesy name Jingzhai, was a native of Qiantang. This work is a miscellaneous collection of discussions on ci. Though titled Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern, writings by ancients make up only one tenth, while those by recent writers account for nine tenths.

Editor's review

Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern is a Qing-dynasty compilation of ci criticism edited by Wang Youhua. Despite its title, only one tenth of the material comes from earlier writers, while nine tenths is drawn from more recent figures, reflecting a clear preference for contemporary selections. Its value lies in gathering and preserving the views on ci of various Qing critics, allowing readers to quickly grasp contemporary discussions of the ci genre, its composition, and its aesthetics, while also revealing the editorial tastes behind the compiler's choices. The book consists largely of miscellaneous entries rather than a systematic treatise, so readers must trace its threads themselves. It suits ci scholars and enthusiasts of classical literary criticism as a reference work to browse, and readers with some foundation in ci studies will find it rewarding to dip into. Those seeking a systematic theory of ci or an accessible introduction should read it alongside other ci talks and anthologies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students researching Qing-dynasty ci studies and criticism
Enthusiasts of classical literary criticism with some grounding in ci who enjoy browsing ci talks
Researchers seeking the views on ci of various Qing critics
Readers interested in entries on ci criticism across dynasties who can organize the threads themselves

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no grounding in ci seeking a systematic introduction
Readers expecting a complete theoretical system from the compiler
Readers interested only in earlier critics' views on ci and not in recent opinions

Reading tips

First gain a basic understanding of Qing-dynasty ci schools and common ci talks, then browse the entries in this book.
While reading, excerpt and categorize entries by topic, such as composition, tonal prosody, and style, building your own threads.
Read alongside reference works such as the Cihua Congbian to check the original contexts of the critics included.
It need not be read cover to cover; it serves well as a desk reference to consult and annotate as needed.

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
序
杨守斋词论
张玉田词论
王元美词论
杨升庵词论
徐天池词论
陈眉公词论
张世文词论
徐伯鲁词论
俞仲茅词论
刘公勇词论
贺黄公词论
卓珂月词论
顾宋梅词论
彭骏孙词论
董文友词论
邹程村词论
王阮亭词论
沈去矜词论
张祖望词论
李东琪词论
张砥中词论
李笠翁词论
毛稚黄词论
仲雪亭词论
查香山词论

FAQ

What are the authorship and composition circumstances of Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern?

According to the source, the book was compiled by Wang Youhua of the Qing dynasty, whose courtesy name was Jingzhai and who was a native of Qiantang. The work is a miscellaneous collection of discussions on ci; though titled Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern, writings by ancients make up only one tenth, while recent writers account for nine tenths.

Is this book a systematic theoretical work on ci studies?

No. It is a compilation of miscellaneous discussions on ci, and the entries do not necessarily form a rigorous system; readers must organize them by topic themselves, making it better suited as a reference work to browse.

Why is it called Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern when most of it consists of recent opinions?

According to the source, although the book is titled Discourses on Ci Ancient and Modern, it in fact draws only one tenth of its material from earlier writers and nine tenths from recent ones, reflecting the compiler's selection preferences; readers should keep this structural feature in mind.

Can beginners read this book directly?

It is not recommended. The book consists mostly of scattered entries on ci criticism with no introductory explanation; without a foundation in ci studies, readers may struggle to follow the threads. It is better to read introductory works on ci or ci anthologies first before using this book.

Comments

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About the author

王又华 Author

Wang Youhua: information about his life is extremely limited in publicly available sources, and his dates of birth and death, native place, and courtesy name have not been clearly recorded. At present, the only confirmed work bearing his name is Gujin Cilun (Discourses on Ci Past and Present). The book belongs to the literature of classical poetry, and judging from its title, its content mainly consists of compiled and commented discussions of ci poetry from successive dynasties, touching on the origins and development of the ci form, compositional methods, and evaluations of style. It is one of the important reference materials for the study of traditional ci poetics. Because the author's own life is difficult to verify, scholarly attention to the book has focused chiefly on the text itself rather than on his biography. For general readers wishing to understand the overall landscape of classical ci criticism, the work can serve as an introductory and reference text; however, Wang Youhua's associations, intellectual lineage, and complete body of writings still await further historical discoveries before they can be clarified.