Literature in Turbulent Times: The Poetics of the Lyrical Tradition in the Fractures of History

亂世⽂章逐⽔流 時代裂縫中的抒情傳統詩學Literature in Turbulent Times: The Poetics of the Lyrical Tradition in the Fractures of History

The discourse on the "lyrical tradition" in Chinese literature owes much to the pioneering efforts of Chinese-American scholars Shih-Hsiang Chen (1910–1971) and Yu-kung Kao (1929–2016). Chen, a graduate of Peking University’s Department of Foreign Languages, experienced displacement during the Second Sino-Japanese War, eventually relocating to the United States, where he embarked on the most significant chapter of his academic career, while also enduring profound personal losses. His studies on Wen Fu (An Essay on Literature), Qu Yuan’s poetics, and the origins of Chinese poetics, reflect not only his scholarly innovation but also the turmoil of his times. Similarly, Kao’s theory of the "lyric aesthetics," rigorous and solemn in its articulation, may also bear traces of the chaotic mid-century era, marked by upheaval and familial separations. These intersections between literary sensibilities and the fractured historical context form a poignant chapter in. the modern study of Chinese literature, meriting renewed reflection and reexamination.