Chinese Literature: The Verses of Chu (Chuci)

Through close readings of the original poetry and historical sources, we analyze the anthology of the Verses of Chu (Chuci) in its aesthetic, historical, and hermeneutic dimensions, with particular attention to the formation and the nature of early Chinese textuality. Drawing on a wider range of early historical, literary, and philosophical texts, and using traditional as well as modern commentaries, we contextualize the songs in late Warring States and Han literary and intellectual culture.