The Spatiality of Emotion in Early Modern China : From Dreamscapes to Theatricality

Emotion takes place. Rather than an interior state of mind in response to the outside world, emotion per se is spatial, at turns embedding us from without, transporting us somewhere else, or putting us ahead of ourselves. In this book, Ling Hon Lam gives a deeply original account of the history of emotions in Chinese literature and culture centered on the idea of emotion as space, which the Chinese call "emotion-realm" (__qingjing__).Lam traces how the emotion-realm underwent significant transformations from the dreamscape to theatricality in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century China. Whereas medieval dreamscapes delivered the subject into one illusory mood after another, early modern theatricality turned the dreamer into a spectator who is no longer falling through endless oneiric layers but pausing in front of the dream. Through the lens of this genealogy of emotion-realms, Lam remaps the Chinese histories of morals, theater, and knowledge production, which converge at the emergence of sympathy, redefined as the dissonance among the dimensions of the emotion-realm pertaining to theatricality.The book challenges the conventional reading of Chinese literature as premised on interior subjectivity, examines historical changes in the spatial logic of performance through media and theater archaeologies, and ultimately uncovers the different trajectories that brought China and the West to the convergence point of theatricality marked by self-deception and mutual misreading. A major rethinking of key terms in Chinese culture from a comparative perspective,__The Spatiality of Emotion in Early Modern China__develops a new critical vocabulary to conceptualize history and existence. Emotion takes place. Rather than an interior state of mind in response to the outside world, emotion per se is spatial, at turns embedding us from without, transporting us somewhere else, or putting us ahead of ourselves. In this book, Ling Hon Lam gives a deeply original account of the history of emotions in Chinese literature and culture centered on the idea of emotion as space, which the Chinese call "emotion-realm" ( qingjing ). Lam traces how the emotion-realm underwent significant transformations from the dreamscape to theatricality in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century China. Whereas medieval dreamscapes delivered the subject into one illusory mood after another, early modern theatricality turned the dreamer into a spectator who is no longer falling through endless oneiric layers but pausing in front of the dream. Through the lens of this genealogy of emotion-realms, Lam remaps the Chinese histories of morals, theater, and knowledge production, which converge at the emergence of sympathy, redefined as the dissonance among the dimensions of the emotion-realm pertaining to theatricality.The book challenges the conventional reading of Chinese literature as premised on interior subjectivity, examines historical changes in the spatial logic of performance through media and theater archaeologies, and ultimately uncovers the different trajectories that brought China and the West to the convergence point of theatricality marked by self-deception and mutual misreading. A major rethinking of key terms in Chinese culture from a comparative perspective, The Spatiality of Emotion in Early Modern China develops a new critical vocabulary to conceptualize history and existence. Ling Hon Lam Gives A Deeply Original Account Of The History Of Emotions In Chinese Literature And Culture Centered On The Idea Of Emotion As Space, Which The Chinese Call Emotion-realm (qingjing). Lam Traces How The Emotion-realm Underwent Significant Transformations From The Dreamscape To Theatricality In Sixteenth- To Eighteenth-century China. Whereas Medieval Dreamscapes Delivered The Subject Into One Illusory Mood After Another, Early Modern Theatricality Turned The Dreamer Into A Spectator Who Is No Longer Falling Through Endless Oneiric Layers But Pausing In Front Of The Dream. Through The Lens Of This Genealogy Of Emotion-realms, Lam Remaps The Chinese Histories Of Morals, Theater, And Knowledge Production, Which Converge At The Emergence Of Sympathy, Redefined As The Dissonance Among The Dimensions Of The Emotion-realm Pertaining To Theatricality.the Book Challenges The Conventional Reading Of Chinese Literature As Premised On Interior Subjectivity, Examines Historical Changes In The Spatial Logic Of Performance Through Media And Theater Archaeologies, And Ultimately Uncovers The Different Trajectories That Brought China And The West To The Convergence Point Of Theatricality Marked By Self-deception And Mutual Misreading. A Major Rethinking Of Key Terms In Chinese Culture From A Comparative Perspective, The Spatiality Of Emotion In Early Modern China Develops A New Critical Vocabulary To Conceptualize History And Existence. Ling Hon Lam. "In this book, Lam reads sixteenth- to eighteenth-century Chinese drama through the dual lenses of theatricality and emotion. The book argues against both accounts of theatricality as a universal category and as an exclusively European phenomenon by historicizing the emergence of theatricality out of the medieval dreamscape in early modern China. In other words, this work clings tightly both to Western theory and to the necessity of reading texts in their own historical contexts. The book includes chapters on The Peony Pavilion, cross-gender performance, and cross-cultural exchanges. It both situates the Chinese culture of emotion in the global context and offers a new perspective on the historical formation of self and society in early modern China"-- Provided by publisher Ling Hon Lam gives a deeply original account of the history of emotions in Chinese literature centered on the idea of emotion as space. Tracing how the emotion-realm underwent significant transformations from the dreamscape to theatricality in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century China, this book is a major rethinking of key terms in Chinese culture. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Prologue 18 Winds, Dreams, Theater 36 The Heart Beside Itself 70 What Is Wrong with 108 “Not Even Close to Emotion” 164 Time-Space Is Emotion 205 Notes 260 Index 340