The Substance of Fiction: Literary Objects in China, 1550-1775

by Sophie Volpp

Do the portrayals of objects in literary texts represent historical evidence about the material culture of the past? Or are things in books more than things in the world? Sophie Volpp considers fictional objects of the late Ming and Qing that defy being read as illustrative of historical things. Instead, she argues, fictional objects are often signs of fictionality themselves, calling attention to the nature of the relationship between literature...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231199643
• ISBN13: 9780231199643
• Release Date: June 2022
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"