The study of Chinese culture has increasingly benefited from
the cross-genre and interdisciplinary exchanges that arise from this diversity.
Daoist and literary studies, in particular, frequently intersect, encouraging a
harmonious exploration of diversity. Over the past century, scholars have made
significant contributions to these two fields, advancing an understanding of
both. The interdisciplinary study of Daoism and literature can be broadly
categorised into three main approaches: analysing literary works as sources of
Daoist material, examining Daoist scriptures as literary texts, and exploring
the influence of Daoist beliefs on writers. This paper proposes a new
perspective that complements these existing frameworks: by examining Daoist
scriptures, we can better assess whether certain literary expressions or
rhetorical devices were innovative or simply widespread conventions among
writers of a particular period. Using the works of Lu Xiujing 陸修靜
(406–477 CE) as a case study, this paper builds on Haun Saussy’s argument that
the use of “fragrance” as a rhetorical device to modify virtue—often surprising
to modern scholars—was, in fact, a familiar trope for ancient Chinese writers.
However, the paper critiques Saussy’s reliance on the works of the famous poet
Qu Yuan屈原
(c. 342–278 BCE) as evidence. Unlike Qu Yuan, who was primarily a literary
figure, Lu Xiujing, as a Daoist scholar, frequently employed metaphors related
to smell and taste to express abstract moral or doctrinal concepts. For Lu and
his contemporaries, such expressions were not regarded as remarkable literary
techniques but rather as conventional modes of discourse. This suggests that,
at least in early medieval China, such rhetorical usage among writers was not
seen as novel but as commonplace. Lu Xiujing's example demonstrates that
practical religious literature from the pre-modern era can be used to support
the fact that some rhetorical devices that seem astonishing to modern
researchers might not have been novel but rather common in a certain historical
period. From this, this study can contribute to the comparative literature and
interdisciplinary methodology of literature and religious studies.
Author(s) Details
Mianheng Liu
School of International Letters and Cultures, Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/lleru/v9/6583
