Siku Quanshu and the Study of Commentary

Abstract

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there formed two theoretical camps in the circles of literary criticism: the camp of pro-commentary and that of anti-commentary. Based on the research of the compilation of Siku quanshu and evaluation on commentary works, this essay aims to explore the ambiguous attitude of the Qing authorities towards the study of commentary, and then further study the reasons, cultural connotations and the academic influences of this finding.

Keywords

commentary / academic stands on literary criticism / cultural connotations