• Contents

  Page V

• Acknowledgements

  Page VII

• Preface

  Page XI

• 1. Vico and Philological Criticism

  Page 1

• 2. Philology and Poetry, The Case against Descartes

  Page 21

• 3. Erich Auerbach and Invention of Man

  Page 39

• 4. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty and Criticism

  Page 57

• 5. John Stuart Mill and the Limits of Self-Making

  Page 77

• 6. Michel Foucault and the Critical Care of the Self

  Page 97

• 7. William Empson and the Mind: Poetry, Torture, and Civilization

  Page 117

• Notes

  Page 137

• Index

  Page 147

This collection of essays brings together the first comprehensive study of TV drama in China. Examining in depth the production, distribution and consumption of TV drama, the international team of experts demonstrate why it remains the pre-eminent media form in China. The examples are diverse, highlighting the complexity of producing narrative content in a rapidly changing political and social environment. Genres examined include the revisionist Qing drama, historical and contemporary domestic dramas, anti-corruption dramas, "pink" dramas, Red Classics, stories from the Diaspora, and sit-coms. In addition to genres, the collection explores industry dynamics: how TV dramas are marketed and consumed on DVD, and China's aspirations to export its television drama rights. The book provides an international and cross-cultural perspective with chapters on Taiwanese TV drama in China, the impact of South Korean drama, and trans-border production between the Mainland and Hong Kong.