Ronald Egan - April 18, 2022

Su Shi Beyond Poetry: The Invention of a New Kind of Informal Prose

Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101) is remembered first as a poet in various forms (shi , ci , and fu ) and only then as a prose stylist. Even among his prose writings Su Shi is remembered primarily, to judge from modern selections of his works, for his output in the traditional literary prose genres (ji “record,” xu “preface,” lun “essay,” etc.). Almost completely overlooked in this hierarchy of forms is his achievement in the less prestigious prose genres, such as the informal letter (chidu 尺牘), colophon (tiba 題跋), accounts of outings (youxing 游行), and miscellaneous records (zaji 雜記). This talk looks at his writing in these forms, calling attention to its striking quantity, the porousness of genre distinctions within it, and Su’s innovative use of this writing for kinds of expression that would not go easily into poetry. Also broached is the chronology of Su’s turn to these “lesser” forms and its connection to his periods of exile.

Ronald Egan is the Confucius Institute Professor of Sinology at Stanford University. He specializes in the study of classical Chinese literature, with a focus on the poetry and aesthetics of the Tang and Song dynasties (7th–13th centuries). He has published books on major writers of the period, including Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi, as well as a selected translation of essays on ideas and letters by the 20th century critic Qian Zhongshu. His most recent published book is a new translation of the complete works of the 12th century female poet, Li Qingzhao. This book is a companion volume to his earlier study of the same writer, The Burden of Female Talent: The Poet Li Qingzhao and Her History in China (Harvard University Press, 2013). His current project is a new study of the Song dynasty writer Su Shi, tentatively titled Exile and Invention in the Prose Writings of Su Shi.