Roaming into the Beyond: Representations of Xian Immortality in Early Medieval Chinese Verse

Author:
Zornica Kirkova

Publisher:
Brill

Publication Month:
April 2016

Abstract:

In Roaming into the Beyond Zornica Kirkova provides the first detailed study in a Western language of Daoism-inspired themes in early medieval Chinese poetry. She examines representations of Daoist xian 仙 immortality in a broad range of versified literature from the Han until the end of the Six Dynasties, focusing on the transformations of themes, concepts, and imagery within a wide literary and religious context. Adopting a more integrated approach, the author explores both the complex interaction between poetry and Daoist religion and the interrelations between various verse forms and poetic themes. This book not only enhances our understanding of the complexities of early medieval literature but also reevaluates the place of Daoist religious thought in the intellectual life of the period.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Religious and literary background
The dramatis personae
A phenomenology of immortals
The world of the immortals
The way to immortality
Immortality in the context of the human world
Conclusion