Notions of Epistolarity in Liu Xie's Wenxin Diaolong‪.‬

INTRODUCTION References to Liu Xie's [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (ca. 465-ca. 532) (1) Wenxin diaolong [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (ca. 500), the most outstanding work of literary theory in China, are a normative part of any study of genre in Chinese literature. Epistolary literature is no exception, as chapter 25 ("Shu ji" [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) of the Wenxin diaolong is generally regarded as the first exposition of the epistolary genre in Chinese literary history. Although Liu Xie is therefore regularly quoted in the as yet comparatively scarce studies of Chinese letters and letter writing, his statements are often presented in a surprisingly derogatory vein.