In the Voice of Others applies new critical methods to medieval works in the genre known as Music Bureau poetry (yuefu shi), stripping away layers of ossified conventional reading to expose the genre’s vital core. Arguing that Music Bureau poetry is best understood in terms of the imitative poetics now known as intratextuality, Allen explores the evolution of yuefu poetry and issues central to all genre formation. In the Voice of Others culminates in an in-depth consideration of the acknowledged master of Music Bureau poetry, the Tang poet Li Bo (Li Po).

Joseph R. Allen is professor of Chinese literature and cultural studies at the University of Minnesota.