Just a Song: Chinese Lyrics from the Eleventh and Early Twelfth Centuries by Stephen Owen (review)

Abstract

Published by the Harvard-Yenching Institute HJAS 80.2 (2020): 556–561 individual voices and contexts in ancient China obscured by monoliths like ‘Chinese thought’” (p. 224). This book will fill several yawning gaps for those prepared to understand it. It makes a strong case that conflict is a main theme, not just a feature, of astronomical history. It shows the usefulness of comparison in its interpretation. And it demonstrates how irony and humor improve upon what for most authors in the field are unrelievedly solemn analysis and narrative.