Reading to Write: Medieval Chinese Primers and Florilegia

Members of the literate class in medieval China (ca. 6^th through 10^th centuries) were called upon to produce literary works in a wide range of contexts, from drunken poetry competitions to the civil service exam. In this talk, CMRS Distinguished Visiting Scholar Christopher Nugent (Associate Professor of Chinese, Williams College) examines a number of the texts—including children’s primers, encyclopedias, and model poems—that were used in the process of training members of this elite in literary skills that were ultimately as much social as aesthetic.