Overview

By examining the dynamic interplay between discourses of fiction and medicine, Novel Medicine demonstrates how fiction incorporated, created, and disseminated medical knowledge in China, beginning in the sixteenth century. Critical readings of fictional and medical texts provide a counterpoint to prevailing narratives that focus only on the ""literati"" aspects of the novel, showing that these texts were not merely read, but were used by a wide variety of readers for a range of purposes. The intersection of knowledge-fictional and real, elite and vernacular-illuminates the history of reading and daily life and challenges us to rethink the nature of Chinese literature. The open access publication of this book was made possible by a grant from the James P. Geiss and Margaret Y. Hsu Foundation.

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Reviews

Like an early Chinese novel, Andrew Schonebaum's book Novel Medicine both informs and titillates. . . . This is innovative scholarship. . . . Schonebaum's expansive conception and meticulous research make Novel Medicine an eye-opening read, one that I particularly recommend to historians of medicine and of gender and sexuality. -- Hilary A. Smith * Bulletin of the History of Medicine * Novel Medicine is an innovative comparison of medical lore and fictional practice. . . . This is an important study, one that should be read by anyone seriously interested in late imperial Chinese culture; it demonstrates the interactions between realms of knowledge that modern specialized fields so easily overlook. -- Harry Yi-Jui Wu * Medical History * Offers exciting new literary and historical methods for unraveling the many intersections between medicine and literature that should be of great interest to readers engaged with the medical humanities, the cultural history of medicine, and late imperial Chinese history. -- Marta Hanson * Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review * Groundbreaking. . . . Explores not only the textual interplay of novel medicine and medical fiction, but also their roles as important literary genres in disseminating vernacular knowledge about health, illness, healing, and the body. -- Robert E. Hegel * Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China *

Novel Medicine offers an intriguing opportunity to reorient the study of Chinese medical history toward a broader categorization of 'medical texts,' and therefore a more accurate understanding of late imperial worldviews and medical beliefs. . . . Schonebaum's fascinating subject matter provides a thoroughly engaging read. * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) - Modern * Andrew Schonebaum has written an insightful and original historical work on popular medicine and literature in late imperial China. * Journal of Asian Studies * Like an early Chinese novel, Andrew Schonebaum's book Novel Medicine both informs and titillates. . . . This is innovative scholarship. . . . Schonebaum's expansive conception and meticulous research make Novel Medicine an eye-opening read, one that I particularly recommend to historians of medicine and of gender and sexuality. -- Hilary A. Smith * Bulletin of the History of Medicine * Novel Medicine is an innovative comparison of medical lore and fictional practice. . . . This is an important study, one that should be read by anyone seriously interested in late imperial Chinese culture; it demonstrates the interactions between realms of knowledge that modern specialized fields so easily overlook. -- Harry Yi-Jui Wu * Medical History * This book is a highly original contribution to the scholarship on traditional Chinese fiction. I very much hope that students of traditional Chinese medicine (and of the introduction of Western medicine into China) will find this work equally fascinating and enlightening. -- Wilt L. Idema * Journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS) * Offers exciting new literary and historical methods for unraveling the many intersections between medicine and literature that should be of great interest to readers engaged with the medical humanities, the cultural history of medicine, and late imperial Chinese history. -- Marta Hanson * Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review * Groundbreaking. . . . Explores not only the textual interplay of novel medicine and medical fiction, but also their roles as important literary genres in disseminating vernacular knowledge about health, illness, healing, and the body. -- Robert E. Hegel * Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China *

Like an early Chinese novel, Andrew Schonebaum's book Novel Medicine both informs and titillates. . . . This is innovative scholarship. . . . Schonebaum's expansive conception and meticulous research make Novel Medicine an eye-opening read, one that I particularly recommend to historians of medicine and of gender and sexuality. -- Hilary A. Smith * Bulletin of the History of Medicine * Novel Medicine is an innovative comparison of medical lore and fictional practice. . . . This is an important study, one that should be read by anyone seriously interested in late imperial Chinese culture; it demonstrates the interactions between realms of knowledge that modern specialized fields so easily overlook. -- Harry Yi-Jui Wu * Medical History * Groundbreaking. Chinese literature and culture are inextricably linked with Chinese medical history. Novel Medicine explores not only the textual interplay of novel medicine and medical fiction, but also their roles as important literary genres in disseminating vernacular knowledge about health, illness, healing, and the body. -- Robert E. Hegel * Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China *

"""Groundbreaking. . . . Explores not only the textual interplay of novel medicine and medical fiction, but also their roles as important literary genres in disseminating vernacular knowledge about health, illness, healing, and the body."" -- Robert E. Hegel * Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China * ""Offers exciting new literary and historical methods for unraveling the many intersections between medicine and literature that should be of great interest to readers engaged with the medical humanities, the cultural history of medicine, and late imperial Chinese history."" -- Marta Hanson * Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review * ""Novel Medicine is an innovative comparison of medical lore and fictional practice. . . . This is an important study, one that should be read by anyone seriously interested in late imperial Chinese culture; it demonstrates the interactions between realms of knowledge that modern specialized fields so easily overlook."" -- Harry Yi-Jui Wu * Medical History * ""This book is a highly original contribution to the scholarship on traditional Chinese fiction. I very much hope that students of traditional Chinese medicine (and of the introduction of Western medicine into China) will find this work equally fascinating and enlightening."" -- Wilt L. Idema * Journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS) * ""Like an early Chinese novel, Andrew Schonebaum’s book Novel Medicine both informs and titillates. . . . This is innovative scholarship. . . . Schonebaum’s expansive conception and meticulous research make Novel Medicine an eye-opening read, one that I particularly recommend to historians of medicine and of gender and sexuality."" -- Hilary A. Smith * Bulletin of the History of Medicine * ""Andrew Schonebaum has written an insightful and original historical work on popular medicine and literature in late imperial China."" * Journal of Asian Studies * ""Novel Medicine offers an intriguing opportunity to reorient the study of Chinese medical history toward a broader categorization of ‘medical texts,’ and therefore a more accurate understanding of late imperial worldviews and medical beliefs. . . . Schonebaum’s fascinating subject matter provides a thoroughly engaging read."" * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) - Modern * ""Straddling the lines between fields like Chinese literature, medical history, and even gender studies, Novel Medicine is eye-opening in its interdisciplinary rigor."" * Asian Medicine *"

Novel Medicine is an innovative comparison of medical lore and fictional practice. . . . This is an important study, one that should be read by anyone seriously interested in late imperial Chinese culture; it demonstrates the interactions between realms of knowledge that modern specialized fields so easily overlook. --Harry Yi-Jui Wu Medical History (01/01/2017) Like an early Chinese novel, Andrew Schonebaum's book Novel Medicine both informs and titillates. . . . This is innovative scholarship. . . . Schonebaum's expansive conception and meticulous research make Novel Medicine an eye-opening read, one that I particularly recommend to historians of medicine and of gender and sexuality. --Hilary A. Smith Bulletin of the History of Medicine Groundbreaking. Chinese literature and culture are inextricably linked with Chinese medical history. Novel Medicine explores not only the textual interplay of novel medicine and medical fiction, but also their roles as important literary genres in disseminating vernacular knowledge about health, illness, healing, and the body. --Robert E. Hegel Nan Nu: Men, Women, & Gender in China

Author Information

Andrew Schonebaum is associate professor of Chinese literature at the University of Maryland. He is the coeditor of Approaches to Teaching “The Story of the Stone” (Dream of the Red Chamber).

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