H. T. Tsiang: Literary Innovator and Activist

Authors

Floyd Cheung, Smith CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Publication Title

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies (AALDP)

Abstract

A Chinese exile in the United States, H. T. Tsiang (1899-1971) wrote several books in English that represent pioneer works in the canon of Asian American literature. Following the principle of nalai zhuyi, or strategic appropriation from other writers, Tsiang created a new, hybridized literature by reworking formal and thematic elements from classical and contemporary Chinese literature, the proletarian works of 1920s and 1930s America, and western classics like the plays of William Shakespeare. Although few know his work today, Tsiang is one of the earliest and most prolific innovators of Asian American literature, anticipating some of the appropriative methods, formal techniques, and critical strategies that have come to characterize the tradition.

Volume

2

First Page

57

Last Page

76

ISSN

2154-2171

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

SJSU ScholarWorks © 2011

Comments

Archived as published.

Recommended Citation

Cheung, Floyd, "H. T. Tsiang: Literary Innovator and Activist" (2011). English Language and Literature: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/eng_facpubs/4