Chloe Estep

This study examines how print periodicals enabled the transformation and expansion of classical poetry in early twentieth century China. Drawing on a wide range of media, including political cartoons, woodcuts, avant-garde typography, and calligraphy, "Print Classicism" shows that classical poetics did not disappear in the wake of vernacular literature, but rather were transformed from a literati practice to a modern, even revolutionary one. During periods of heightened political tensions, from the fall of the imperial regime to the contemporary cross-strait crisis, from the rise of global fascism to the formation of the nascent Communist state, this study argues that the new nation used classical poetry to understand the relationship between its idealized past and uncertain future.