Book Talk: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙒𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 1850–1880

Huan Jin, Assistant Professor, School of Humanities and Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Moderator: Wai-yee Li, 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature, Harvard University

Registration appreciated for planning purposes. 

New Location! S153, 1st Floor, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street 

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About the book: The Collapse of Heaven investigates a long-neglected century in Chinese literature through the lens of the Taiping War (1851–1864), one of the most devastating civil wars in human history. With the war as the pivot, Huan Jin examines the manifold literary and cultural transformations that occurred from the 1850s to the 1880s. The book analyzes a wide range of writings—proselytizing pamphlets, diaries, poetry, a full-length novel, drama, and short stories—with a particular emphasis on the materiality of these texts as well as their production and dissemination. Tracing allusions to political turbulences across many genres, Jin discusses how late imperial Chinese literary and cultural paradigms began to unravel under conditions of extreme violence and tracks the unexpected reinventions of literary conventions that marked the beginning of Chinese literary modernity. In addition to making a significant contribution to Chinese studies, this book offers an important comparative perspective on the global nineteenth century and engages with broad scholarly discussions on religion, violence, narrative, history, gender, theater, and media studies.