A Study On The Editing And Publishing Of Alternative Collections Of Qing Dynasty’s Men Of Letters

Despite the abundance of alternative literary collections in Qing Dynasty,research on how and why they came to be edited and published as books is insufficient.This thesis explores the cultural significance of the alternative collections of Qing Dynasty’s men of letters,examining their ambivalent attitude towards their collected works.On one hand,they tried to conceal their desire to publish,but on the other,they promoted their own works through these collections.Inhibition and an irresistible yearning for fame constitute their ambivalent attitude,which actually reflects their cherishment of their works.It was considered a sacred duty on the part of the offspring to preserve their ancestors’ works and the noble sentiments conveyed in them.Sometimes this duty was not only performed by their own family members;the partipation of those unrelated by blood could increase the chance of publication,especially when the family members were inable to do so independently.Though there would be various problems that may occur during the publication process,once a collection was completed,it would become a material vehicle of ancestrial wisdom,to be read and cherished by later generations.The sorting and editing of the materials would involve many people,not only their own flesh and blood,but other friends outside the family,which guaranteed efficiency in the arrangements of time and materials,and lowered overall costs,a factor that was of great importance for an average family.Even after its completion,it might suffer damage from warfare,improper preservation and so forth.Once damaged,it would need to be reedited and remade.The task of protecting their ancestors’ literary collections became their heavy burden.With the rising difficulty of succeeding in imperial examinations,men of letters had very little chance of becoming imperial officials,so they devoted more attention to their own collections,whose value was thus increased.Literary works were more closely related to their authors,revealing their personality,learning and experience to readers.They also became a source of spiritual comfort to their authors,giving them new identities and outlets outside of the imperial examination.Every literary collection has a preface,introducing its author to its readers.Men of letters would invite celebrities to write prefaces for them,in order to gain more publicity.Besides,friends,mentors,disciples and brothers would write prefaces for each other in mutual encouragement and laudation.Literary prefaces became a platform for men of letters to communicate with each other.