Abstract:

The cataloguing method in Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han Dynasty started the mode to categorize literary works on the basis of writing styles (genre) with author's names. This mode was not constructed by Fan Ye from his understanding of the concepts of literary styles and related written materials during the Southern dynasties; instead, it was a description of the configurations and concepts of literary styles during the Eastern Han Dynasty based on his mastery of related historical materials. Therefore, this mode was historically characterized. The historical specificities implied in the method encompass, the compiling status of various writing styles, the anthologization principles and examplification, etc. This mode can be argued as a proof that the practice of anthologizing literary works prevailing in the much later period had actually formed during the Eastern Han dynasty. It also implies a relatively conscious distinction between not only different genres but also between different subgenres within literary writing as the literary collections (ji) was distinguished from Confucian classics (jing) and historical records (shi) while within in literary collections rhymed and unrhymed writing had also been distinguished. Therefore, the paper maintains that the cataloguing method in The Book of the Later Han Dynasty marked the emergence of conscious conceptualization of literariness during the Eastern Han dynasty.

Key words: The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, style-based cataloguing, anthologization, literary concept