Chinese Literature in English Sinology

This book takes an exciting new approach to Sino-British literary and cultural encounters in the nineteenth century, focusing on the formation of knowledge about Chinese literature in English Sinology. It provides the first comprehensive exploration of Sinologists’ writings on Chinese literature as a form of literary knowledge constructed through cultural translation—a translingual and transcultural rewriting. The analysis reveals the interaction between Chinese and English literary concepts and paradigms in Sinologists’ study that gave rise to ideas about Chinese literature that are still influential today. Drawing attention to the political implications of literary knowledge, this book also demonstrates that Sinologists’ interpretation of Chinese literature played an important role in shaping the British cultural imagination of China. Tracing this uncharted history, this book takes a broad, interdisciplinary approach that brings together comparative literature, history, and cultural studies. It contributes to present and future debates on the intercultural reading and study of Chinese literature by offering a genealogical understanding of its origins and ramifications.