Abstract
Some ancient literary anthologies in China usually carry in the contents or before the main body of a volume a preface that introduces the generic evolution, and there has no commonly agreed name for this particular form of writing. The paper proposes that the name of "expository preface (xuti序题)" should be applied to it so that the research into Chinese literary genre could be conducted in a more systematic and self-conscious way. "Expository preface" is a unique and important genre of criticism in ancient Chinese literary history, and it gestates in Han Dynasty, takes its form in Jin Dynasty, and becomes popular since Song and Yuan Dynasties, especially so during the Late Imperial and Early Republican periods. The author expounds that expository preface as a generic form of literary criticism carries its characteristic critical values through its focus on the evolution of genres, the systemization of theoretical investigation, and the close link between literary theory and texts.
First Page
4
Last Page
12
Recommended Citation
Wu, Chengxue. 2012. "Investigating into the Naming of "Expository Preface" as a Form of Classical Chinese Generic Criticism." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 32, (6): pp.4-12. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol32/iss6/4
