Speaker: Rania Huntington, Professor of Chinese Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Title: The Grieving Father and the Baleful Spirits: Qian Xiyan’s Ting lan zhi (Record of Listening to Falsehood)

To join virtually: https://cornell.zoom.us/j/94787909537?pwd=QLz62Hgzx1GiwKNGXh5E6CiNPnhha…

Abstract: Qian Xiyan composed the Ting lan zhi in response to the death of his young son, the most recent of a series of similar losses. Attempting to explain the boy’s death, Qian chronicles ordinary and extraordinary incidents in his short life. A collector of contemporary strange tales who was also very well read in the earlier tradition, Qian interrogates many of his culture’s common explanations of infant and child mortality, finally concluding with a bitter indictment of heterodox religious practice. The resulting text is part memoir and part treatise.

About Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium
The group meets monthly during the semester to explore a variety of classical Chinese texts and styles. Other premodern texts linked to classical Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese have also been explored. Presentations include works from the earliest times to the 20th century. Workshop sessions are led by local, national, and international scholars. Participants with any level of classical Chinese experience are welcome to attend.
o At each session, a presenter guides the group in a reading of a classical Chinese text. Attendees discuss historical, literary, linguistic, and other aspects of the text, working together to resolve difficulties in comprehension and translation.
o No preparation is required; all texts will be distributed at the meeting.
o Refreshments will be served.