Description
Book SynopsisThe Bell and the Drum: Shih Ching as Formulaic Poetry in an Oral Tradition examines the poetic and oral traditions of ancient Chinese poetry, particularly the Shih Ching (Book of Songs). The study explores how the form of Shih Ching reflects its origins in oral composition, focusing on its acoustic patterns, formulaic phrases, and thematic structures. By identifying these features as integral to the poetry's dynamic and organic nature, the author highlights the interplay between musical accompaniment, such as the bell and drum, and the poet's imaginative freedom. This perspective seeks to recover the naïvetéa spontaneous and natural qualityof the poetry as it was originally experienced by its audience. The book advocates for a comparative approach to analyzing Shih Ching, drawing on methodologies from oral-formulaic studies in Greek and Old English poetry. It challenges conventional interpretations that prioritize prosodic or rhetorical analysis, instead emphasizing the formulaic an
