It is for good reason that China is often called a land of poetry.  As the longest continuous form of creative writing in the country, poetry has been a defining feature in the life of China’s elite, from their participation in the civil service exams to their performance of rituals on official and leisure occasions. The ideas for poetry and its genre formation, however, have been a subject of constant debate throughout history, the most radical of which took place at the turn of the nineteenth century, when Chinese men of letters embarked on a journey toward modernity.  In this seminar we will trace the origin of poetry and examine the different conceptions of poetics at the critical moments in the development of China’s poetic culture. And we will read exemplary poems from different periods to appreciate the triumph of the human spirit and the power of imagination of Chinese poets. 

Registration Opens Online: Monday, August 12, 2019 at 8AM (AZ Time)