Do you think a writer’s literary works can be used as reliable sources for telling her life story?

Do you think a writer’s literary works can be used as reliable sources for telling her life story? Use examples from Li Qingzhao’s lyrics (ci 詞), and what you have learned of her life from her “Postface on Inscriptions on Bronze and Stone” (L8:1), to discuss whether you think Li’s lyrics are records of her actual experiences and feelings, or works of imagination, or a mixture of both.

1. answer the question being asked in full;

2. show that you have read the primary texts; prepare by sitting down with the texts to read through them carefully and make notes;

3. show that you are combining your own ideas with what you have heard in the lectures and read in the commentary in the textbook; you do not need to use footnotes—you can simply write “As was mentioned in lecture…” or “As I read in the textbook…”;

4. refer to specific primary texts to support your points—exact quotations are not necessary; you may paraphrase or cite texts in more general terms.

Your essay will be graded using the following scheme:

3 pts Clarity of expression (spelling, grammar, paragraphs, structure)

6 pts Ideas and points made answering the question

6 pts Analysis (supporting points with reference to the texts)

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