Grassroots Writing: A Study on Regional Literary Societies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Abstract

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, literati exhibited a distinct collective trend, with regional literary societies emerging as a prominent cultural phenomenon. These local literary societies endeavored to safeguard their literary sanctuaries, construct local literary genealogies, form regional literary discourses, and enhance the status of grassroots literature. They left behind a wealth of works. It is essential to consider regional societies as a significant part when researching Ming and Qing poetry and prose, study the numerous literati and their creations within the context of grassroots writing, and reproduce the literary scenes and landscapes of specific regional spaces. By doing so, one can understand the particular mechanism in the development of Ming and Qing poetry and prose. This approach is essential not only for the study of Ming and Qing literature but also for shifting the research of Chinese literature history from a focus on temporal dimensions, macro perspectives, texts, and mainstream development to taking a more balanced consideration of time and space, macro and regional contexts, texts and experiences, and the interplay between mainstream and peripheral narratives.

Keywords

Ming and Qing poetry and prose / regional literary societies / grassroots writing / collective trend

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Higher Education Press