The book is a literary study of one of the greatest of Chinese writers,
Ou-yang Hsiu. He was a major writer in each of several genres: prose,
poetry, rhapsodies, and tz'u 'songs'. The striking diversity of his work
presents an opportunity to investigate how one man's literary talent is
manifested in different genres. Ou-yang Hsiu's achievements in each
genre are examined, and set in the context of his age. Topics include
the broad shift between T'ang and Sung dynasty prose styles that Ou-yang
Hsiu helped to effect, his contributions to the new poetic values of the
Northern Sung, and his place in the evolution of Sung dynasty songs
(together with a reconsideration of a group of supposedly spurious
songs). An appendix provides additional translations of Ou-yang Hsiu's
prose.