The Origins of Guanzhui bian 管錐編: Genetic Insights from Qian Zhongshu's Notebooks.

Abstract: During the “Criticise Lin, Criticise Confucius” campaign of 1973-74, the celebrated novelist, scholar, and all-round man-of-letters, Qian Zhongshu (1910-1998), was sequestered in a store cupboard at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Here, believing himself to be terminally ill, and fearing further political turmoil, Qian composed Guanzhui bian (Limited Views, or The Pipe and Awl Chapters), one of the most diversely informed and eloquent works of classical criticism ever executed by a solitary scholar. With the aid of Qian’s notebooks, this talk will explore the long gestation of Guanzhui bian and consider the literary significance of its classical learning and cosmopolitanism in the context of the Cultural Revolution.

Bio: William Blythe is a scholar of Chinese literature. He took his BA in Chinese at AMES (Clare College), his MA at SOAS and his DPhil at Oxford. He is currently a Junior Research Fellow at Jesus College. His work to date has focused on genetic approaches to autograph manuscripts, modern classicism, the history of sinology, late imperial court theatre, and the works of Qian Zhongshu.