Patrick Dewes Hanan (4 January 192726 April 2014) was a New Zealand scholar of
Chinese literature who was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Chinese Literature at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. A
sinologist, he specialised in pre-20th-century vernacular fiction.
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Career
Hanan was born in
Morrinsville
Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains ...
, New Zealand and raised on a farm in the
Waikato
Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...
where his father retired from a career in dentistry. Hanan studied English at
Auckland University College
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
before going to England, where he enrolled to study Chinese at the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...
at
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, taking his undergraduate degree in 1953 and beginning his teaching career there. He spent the academic year 1957–58 in Beijing. Soon after completing his doctoral work and receiving his doctoral degree in 1961, he was recruited to teach on a temporary basis at
Stanford University in 1961, then a regular position there in 1963. In 1968, he moved to Harvard, where he taught until his retirement at age 70 in 1997. He was chair of the department of East Asian Languages and Director of the
Harvard-Yenching Library, among other services.
In the
1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hanan was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to Chinese literature and languages. In 2006, he was conferred with an honorary
LittD degree by the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
.
Research topic
From 1950 to 1953, Hanan studied at the University of London, received a bachelor's degree, and, after graduating, admitted to the University of London's Asian-African college. He taught students, and at the same time writing doctoral dissertation. He chose the title of " Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)" in the beginning, wanted to study this historical masterpiece from the literary viewpoint. But his supervisor,
Walter Simon, reckoned that there are too many people studying this book, suggesting that he study ''
Jin Ping Mei
''Jin Ping Mei'' () — translated into English as ''The Plum in the Golden Vase'' or ''The Golden Lotus'' — is a Chinese novel of manners composed in vernacular Chinese during the latter half of the 16th century during the late Ming dynasty ...
'', a
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
erotic masterpiece.
Arthur Waley
Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 188927 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were ...
, an established translator, agreed, so Hanan chose the subject as his doctoral dissertation. He chose ''Jin Ping Mei'' for his doctoral dissertation, and finally formed three series of papers which were published.
One in the ''Asian Journal'' in 1962, "The text of the Chin Ping mei," explored the major editions of Jin Ping Mei, the similarities, differences and the relationship between versions. Hanan also made a detailed outline of the relationship between the original and the complement of the book by examining the meaning of the text.
The development of Chinese fiction in the 19th and early 20th centuries was one of his most important concerns. The 19th century has often been considered as a relatively stagnant period when compared to the efflorescence of the 17th and 18th centuries for Chinese fiction. The development of Chinese fiction in this period got much less attention from literary critics for its lack of innovation and creativity. However, in the monograph "Chinese fiction of the Nineteenth and early twenties centuries", Hanan proved this view misguided by presenting eleven detailed critical essays. He indicated that Chinese novelists came into much more frequent contact with western fictions and fictional methods in the 19th and early 20th centuries so that literary work was actually experiencing constant evolution. He was interested in examining writings in this period from an integrated approach of combining Chinese classical literary tradition as well as the western narratological techniques. He was also concerned how western missionaries in Chinese society adapted their religious writing to the taste of Chinese readers.
Reactions to his work
A state-of-the-field article written by
Robert Hegel
Robert E. Hegel (born 9 January 1943, Goodrich, Michigan; ) is an American sinologist specializing in the fiction of late imperial China. He taught at Washington University in St. Louis, from 1975 until his retirement in the spring of 2018 and ...
, of
Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
in 1994 grouped Hanan with scholars who combine Eastern and Western critical approaches, both close reading of texts typical of Western schools and intense scrutiny of Chinese ''pingdian'', or commentator/ editors. Hanan's first book-length monograph, ''The Chinese Short Story. Studies in Dating, Authorship, and Composition'' (1973) was a "pioneering effort to utilize stylistic analysis to group ''
huaben A ''huaben'' () is a Chinese short- or medium-length story or novella written mostly in Vernacular Chinese, vernacular language, sometimes including simple wenyan, classical language. In contrast to the full-length Chinese novel, it is generally not ...
'' stories of Yuan and Ming periods that exhibit similar characteristics." Hanan accommodated evidence from more conventional analysis, the reviewer continued, with the result that "his classification scheme is extremely useful in general despite the reservations some have concerning specific details."
David Tod Roy
David Tod Roy (; 1933 – May 31, 2016) was an American sinologist and scholar of Chinese literature who was Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at University of Chicago from 1967 until he took early retirement in 1999. Roy is most ...
,
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, wrote of Hanan's "amazing erudition and fecundity ... one of those rare scholars of whom it may be said that his work has permanently altered the landscape of the field." Robert Hegel reviewed Hanan's collection of essays, ''Chinese Fiction of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries'', in the sinologolical journal
T'oung Pao
''T’oung Pao'' (; ), founded in 1890, is a Dutch journal and the oldest international journal of sinology. It is published by the publisher E. J. Brill.
''T'oung Paos original full title was ''T’oung Pao ou Archives pour servir à l’étud ...
, and said "Any scholarly writing by Patrick Hanan ... is to be welcomed; regardless of topic, it is sure to be worth our careful consideration. This essay collection marks yet another direction taken in his four-decade long career of distinguished publications, and it is as important as his previous writings.
Hanan identified Chinese novels for translation that would promote understanding of Chinese society. His translation of Li Yu's ''The Carnal Prayer Mat'' (1990), a reviewer wrote, "has caught the author's sardonic tone, the tongue-in-cheek apology for outlandish ideas and practices, and the uproarious or deadpan humor of both speeches and narration." In his ''A Tower for the Summer Heat'' (1998), he translated six out of twelve stories from Li Yu's ''Shi'er lou''. This translation is known as "highly accurate and very nice stylistically--a truly masterful combination."
[McMahon, Keith. Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews 21 (1999): 173-75.] His last translation published before his death was ''
Mirage'' (2016), an anonymous novel about the lives of Guangdong merchants who traded with the West. Posthumously in 2017, his translation of
Luo Guanzhong's ''
The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt'' was published under the title ''Quelling the Demons’ Revolt''.
Major publications
* "The Development of Fiction and Drama", in Raymond Dawson, (ed.), ''The Legacy of China'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1964). pp. 115–143.
* ''The Chinese Short Story: Studies in Dating, Authorship, and Composition.'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 1973). .
* ''The Chinese Vernacular Story.'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, Harvard East Asian Series, 1981). .
* ''The Invention of Li Yu.'' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988). .
Joseph Levenson Book Prize Joseph Levenson Book Prize is awarded each year in memory of Joseph R. Levenson by the Association for Asian Studies to two English-language books, one whose main focus is on China before 1900 and the other for works on post-1900 China. According t ...
1990.
* tr. Lin Fu and Jianren Wu. ''
The Sea of Regret: Two Turn-of-the-Century Chinese Romantic Novels.'' (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1995). .
* "The Missionary Novels of Nineteenth-Century China", ''Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies ''60.2 (2000): 413–443
* ed., ''Treasures of the Yenching: Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Harvard-Yenching Library.'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts; Hong Kong: Harvard-Yenching Library; Distributed by the Chinese University Press, Harvard-Yenching Library Studies No. 1, 2003). Google.
* with Judith T. Zeitlin,
Lydia H. Liu, Lydia He Liu and
Ellen Widmer
Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004.
People named Ellen include:
*Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress
*Ellen ...
. ''Writing and Materiality in China: Essays in Honor of Patrick Hanan.'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Published by Harvard University Asia Center for Harvard-Yenching Institute: distributed by Harvard University Press, Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series ; 58, 2003). .
* ''Chinese Fiction of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Essays.'' (New York: Columbia University Press, Masters of Chinese Studies, 2004).
Google Books* ''Falling in Love: Stories from Ming China.'' (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006). .
Annotated bibliography
1. Hanan, Patrick. 1973. ''The Chinese Short Story: Studies in Dating, Authorship, and Composition''. Vol. 21;21.;. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
''The Chinese Short Story: Studies in Dating, Authorship, and Composition'', is the first monograph of Patrick Hanan, which focuses on the context of literary scholarship and critical approach in the Chinese fiction, which is different from the former attempt of critical study.
2. Hanan, Patrick. 1981. ''The Chinese vernacular story''. Vol. 94. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
''The Chinese Vernacular Story'' is Hanan's second monograph, that includes both methodology study and theme-oriented case studies. Chapter one introduces the language and style, narrative model and analysis of the Chinese vernacular stories. Chapter two and three discusses the division of Chinese vernacular tales from the early period to the middle period. The following six chapters are specific case study with detailed analysis of the writing of novelist during the late Ming and Qing era, such as Feng Menglong, Langxian, Ling Mengchu, Li Yu, and Aina.
3. Hanan, Patrick, and ACLS Humanities E-Book. 1988. ''The Invention of Li Yu''. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Hanan's third published monograph is ''The Invention of Li Yu'', that invents Li Yu through restoring the writing, life and world of Li Yu, from his drama to fiction, from his habits to personality, from his friends to concubines.
4. Fu, Lin, Jianren Wu, and Patrick Hanan. 1995. ''The Sea of Regret: Two Turn-Of-The-Century Chinese Romantic Novels''. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.
His fourth published writing, ''The Sea of Regret: Two Turn-of-the-Century Chinese Romantic Novels'', is the collection of the translation of two romantic novels––''Stone in the Sea'' (Qin hai shi), written by Fu Lin, and ''The Sea of Regret'' (Hen hai), written by Wu Jianren. The later novel is written as the response to the former one. Both of these two novels could be traced to the origin of a tragic ancient Chinese myth, that the daughter of the Fiery Emperor takes the rebirth as a bird after drowns in the Eastern Sea.
5. Hanan, Patrick, Judith T. Zeitlin,
Lydia H. Liu, Lydia He Liu, and Ellen Widmer. 2003. ''Writing and Materiality in China: Essays in Honor of Patrick Hanan''. Vol. 58;58.;. Cambridge, Mass: Published by Harvard University Asia Center for Harvard-Yenching Institute.
''Writing and Materiality in China: Essays in Honor of Patrick Hanan'', is not only his fifth monograph, but also be noticed as his first published paper writing in the new century. This is a collection of writing done by Dr. Hanan and his friends, colleagues and disciples. The entire collection is arranged chronologically under numerous but systematic themes, inducing rubbings, writing on walls, actors, late Ming print culture, the emergence and rise of the sense of feeling and individuality in the late Ming, the origin of urban courtesan in the late Qing, and the official popular culture in the twentieth-century China. Readers should be impressed by its wide selection of topics, the span of time, and definitely the honor of both authors and editors/coeditors, such as Judith T. Zeitlin,
Lydia H. Liu, Wu Hong, Shang Wei and Sophie Volpp.
6. Hanan, Patrick. 2004. ''Chinese Fiction of The Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries: Essays''. Vol. 2.;2;. New York: Columbia University Press.
The sixth monograph written by Patrick Hanan is ''Chinese Fiction of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries'', that is written with independent pieces, but with a systematic content, which is the Chinese fictions written from the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, especially the sense of association between the Chinese and Western literary traditions.
7. Hanan, Patrick. 2006. ''Falling in Love: Stories From Ming China''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
''Falling in Love: Stories from Ming China'', should be Hanan's most recent published book. This is the collection of translation of seven outstanding late Ming vernacular stories––"Shengxian", "The Oil Seller" "Marriage Destinies Rearranged", "The Rainbow Slippers", "Wu Yan", "The Reckless Scholar", and "The Lovers’ Tomb". All of these seven stories are from two Ming vernacular-story collection––Xing shi hengyan and Shi dian tou. All seven stories are chosen under a certain theme¬¬––"falling in love" or the cult of enchantment and individual feeling. Also, Hanan discusses the technique of simulated context of late Ming story-writers in addressing their readers and rise a sense of sympathy.
References
External links
Remembering Professor Patrick Hanan (1927–2014)
A Celebration of the Life and Career of Patrick Hanan, 1927–2014
Patrick HananWorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
Page.
Patrick HananGoogle Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes ...
*
Patrick D. Hanan Book Prize for Translation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanan, Patrick Dewes
2014 deaths
1927 births
New Zealand sinologists
New Zealand expatriates in the United States
University of Auckland alumni
People from Morrinsville
China–New Zealand relations
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Harvard University faculty
New Zealand expatriates in the United Kingdom