Authenticity and Self-representation: A Case Study of Song Zhiwen

Whether a written text authentically represents its writer has intrigued generations of scholars. We are used to judging the authenticity of the writing by whether it accurately presents verifiable facts. This way of looking at authenticity, stemming ultimately from an impulse to judge the moral qualities of writers, does not take us very far in understanding the writer and their work. This talk proposes to consider authenticity as a rhetorical effect, the success of which depends on the writer's skill. By analyzing three poems by the famous Tang poet Song Zhiwen 宋之問 (ca. 656- ca. 712), this talk will show that although the poet sometimes purposefully deviates from certain biographical facts to offer self-portrayals befitting specific social contexts, as he skillfully adopts various strategies to authenticate his narrative, his self-representation is manifestly authentic and sincere.