Modernity, Gender and Poetics: Chen Jitong (1852-1907) and the Cross-cultural Intellectual and Literary Writing Practices in Late Qing China

This dissertation approaches Chen Jitong (1852-1907), a late Qing diplomat's cross-cultural writing attempt in his major work to explore the cultural and literary representation of late Qing literati on the world stage. During his 16- year stay in Europe (1875-1891), Chen, a secretary and attache in the Chinese legation, also acted as a cultural celebrity by writing several books to introduce China and actively participating in cultural activities. Through the perspectives of modernity, gender and poetics, we gain a rare glimpse of how literati of his generation imagined and presented a "Chinese culture" to the western world.;Chapter 1 provides a panoramic reading of Chen's representative work and some critics' dichotomized viewpoints, showing his critical engagement in a dialogue on modernity with the west. Chapter 2 explores Chen's aspirations for officialdom as a student of new learning, and his role in the Sino-French war. Through the angle of masculinity, we may understand his cultural representation in writing as an outlet for the frustration and desire of his generation of literati. Chapter 3 discusses the importance of cultural matrix and public sphere in the cross-cultural writing. I demonstrate how the Parisian print media may influence on Chen's publication, and how Chen elicited public sympathy and public opinions in his work. Chapter 4 analyzes Chen's writing choices and styles in the book, showing that aesthetic features and individual penchant are indispensable and expressive elements in writings of this kind. Chapter 5 adopts a comparative approach to compare the differences of presenting culture and society in Chen Jitong and Gu Hongming (1857-1928)'s major works, which shed light on our comprehension of the varieties of transnational writing in this vein.;In general, Chen Jitong and his cultural representation on the world stage enrich our study of the intellectual map and zeitgeist of late Qing. His major work The Chinese Painted by Themselves ( Les Chinois peints par eux-memes, 1884) as well as other works embodied his pioneering proposition of a mutual participation and dialogue in "world literature." The study of his writing also unravels the multifaceted aspects that contribute to the cross-cultural writing.