Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List

Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until August 06, 2028

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Early Medieval Anthologies in China: A Literary Network Analysis

Wang, Mengling
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689898520310354

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
My dissertation project is an exploration of the intricate literary networks encapsulated within two preeminent pre-Tang anthologies, Wen xuan and Yutai xinyong. I use the term “literary network” in a broader sense, which encompasses a wide range of interactions among literati and non-literati, as well as the textual connections generated across diverse genres of literature and transcending temporal boundaries. It deviates from the conventional approach that uses the concept of “community” in the cultural, literary, or social contexts to examine interactions among literati. Rather, I adopt a more complex notion of “network” to investigate the multi- layered relationships unveiled within the two anthologies. Through a network perspective, I consider not only direct relationships but also indirect connections, mutual influences, and interconnections within the network that cannot be identified by using only established approaches such as close reading. I recognize that literary influence and interactions are not confined to formal institutions or social hierarchies, but can occur across different social strata, genres, and time periods. By employing methodologies and tools from the Digital Humanities (DH), such as network analysis and data visualization, my study transforms information from basic data points into systems of relationships, thereby uncovering emerging patterns of social prominence and social interactions among writers and their inner circles, as reflected in the two pre-Tang anthologies. The objectives of my dissertation are threefold. First, it maps out the entire network of contemporaneous poetic communications in both Wen xuan and Yutai xinyong, as well as the comprehensive literary network, which crosses generic and periodic divisions, within the Wen xuan corpus. Second, it differentiates and analyzes various types and levels of social and literary influence, as indicated by weighted degree, betweenness, and various metrics through network analysis. This allows for a nuanced understanding of how individuals exerted influence (or failed to do so), and how they differed from others in the manner of their influence. Third, it underscores both connections and disconnections across groups, time, and space, thereby posing critical questions for the longstanding approach of studying early medieval Chinese literature through the lens of community and patronage systems. My dissertation is the first study to offer varying levels of visualization and network analysis of the intricate relationships and connections among literati and non-literati as reflected in these two pre-Tang anthologies. By mapping the connections between authors, works, and anthologies, my network analyses reveal the underlying structure of literary relations, providing insights into the dynamics of literary production and reception. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the role of social connections in facilitating literary production and communication. It also demonstrates the potential of integrating methodologies in providing innovative readings of early medieval Chinese literature.
Meow Hui Goh (Advisor)
Leigh Bonds (Committee Member)
Mark Bender (Committee Member)
Patricia Sieber (Committee Co-Chair)
236 p.
Asian Literature
Wen xuan; Yutai xinyong; pre-Tang anthology; network analysis; literary network; DH

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wang, M. (2023). Early Medieval Anthologies in China: A Literary Network Analysis [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689898520310354

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wang, Mengling. Early Medieval Anthologies in China: A Literary Network Analysis. 2023. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689898520310354.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wang, Mengling. "Early Medieval Anthologies in China: A Literary Network Analysis." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689898520310354

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1689898520310354
© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.