Lei Yang
My main areas of research are Chinese historiography and literature in early China (-220CE), which do not always have a clear-cut boundary. Although my research subjects are Chinese texts, my work is interdisciplinary involving narratology and hermeneutics.
I’m particularly interested in fostering dialogues between Western frameworks and Chinese historical narratives. My current book project, Retelling the Past: Narrative Devices in Early Chinese Historiography, provides the first systematic narratological analysis of the most influential histories from early China by focusing on Shiji (Records of the Historian), a monumental text completed by Sima Qian (145–86 BCE). Drawing on Gérard Genette’s framework, my book treats histories as narratives, challenging the Chinese traditional literary method of intentional reading and answering the critical question of how narrative as a form affects the rhetorical function of histories. In future projects, I will explore the evolution of interpretative modes and historical novels in premodern China.
In addition to Shiji, my existing publications center on several most important historical works compiled between the 500 BCE-200CE, such as the Zuozhuan (Zuo Commentary), Guoyu (Discourse of the States), Hanshu (History of the Former Han). The rest of my publications are on language pedagogy and acquisition. My research has been funded by The Tang Center for Early China at Columbia University.
Address: One North College St,
Northfield, MN 55057
I’m particularly interested in fostering dialogues between Western frameworks and Chinese historical narratives. My current book project, Retelling the Past: Narrative Devices in Early Chinese Historiography, provides the first systematic narratological analysis of the most influential histories from early China by focusing on Shiji (Records of the Historian), a monumental text completed by Sima Qian (145–86 BCE). Drawing on Gérard Genette’s framework, my book treats histories as narratives, challenging the Chinese traditional literary method of intentional reading and answering the critical question of how narrative as a form affects the rhetorical function of histories. In future projects, I will explore the evolution of interpretative modes and historical novels in premodern China.
In addition to Shiji, my existing publications center on several most important historical works compiled between the 500 BCE-200CE, such as the Zuozhuan (Zuo Commentary), Guoyu (Discourse of the States), Hanshu (History of the Former Han). The rest of my publications are on language pedagogy and acquisition. My research has been funded by The Tang Center for Early China at Columbia University.
Address: One North College St,
Northfield, MN 55057
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book reivew by Lei Yang
Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, and Hans van Ess, The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian’s Legacy. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2016.
Dissertation abstract by Lei Yang
Papers by Lei Yang
Notes on Author: YANG Lei holds a Ph.D. in Premodern Chinese Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Chinese in the Department of Asian Languages & Literatures at Carleton College. Her research and publications focus on historical narratives, classical texts, and literary theories in early China. Her other interests include Chinese archeology and language pedagogy.
Books by Lei Yang
Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, and Hans van Ess, The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian’s Legacy. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2016.
Notes on Author: YANG Lei holds a Ph.D. in Premodern Chinese Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Chinese in the Department of Asian Languages & Literatures at Carleton College. Her research and publications focus on historical narratives, classical texts, and literary theories in early China. Her other interests include Chinese archeology and language pedagogy.