Lechery, Substance Abuse, and . . . Han Yu?

Abstract

This article examines the role of anecdote and casual literary criticism in the post-Tang defamation (or defense) of Han Yu’s character. Several scholar-officials from the Song, Yuan, and later eras criticized Han Yu’s moral inconsistency in their collections of “miscellaneous notes” (biji) and “remarks on poetry” (shihua). Specifically, Han Yu is condemned for over-indulging in amorous relations with young female musicians and for pursuing immortality through alchemical means. I discuss the critical reception of a few key compositions authored by Han Yu and his contemporaries in order to place his alleged activities in their historical context, explore the contested process by which he became a cultural icon, and clarify the various ways that later literati shaped his image and used it for their own purposes