French Literature Reviews - 2026

Z. Longxi, Allegoresis. Reading Canonical Literature East and West
Comparative and World Literature

Zhang Longxi, Allegoresis: Reading Canonical Literature East and West

Cornell University Press, 2005 (September), 274 p.

ISBN: 0-8014-4369-5

Why is it that a text, particularly a canonical text, is often said to contain a meaning different from what it literally says? How did allegorical readings arise and develop? By looking at such examples as Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Song of Songs and traditional Chinese commentaries on the Confucian classic Book of Poetry, Zhang Longxi discusses allegorical readings from a broad perspective that bridges the usual East-West cultural divide and examines their social and political implications. His approach is wide-ranging, cross-cultural, and cross-disciplinary, exploring allegoresis with regard to religion, philosophy, and literature.

In his inquiry into allegory and allegorical interpretation, Zhang examines the idea of the Bible as a self-explanatory text, as conceived by Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther; discusses the importance of the literal basis of textual interpretation; and takes up the question of moral responsibility and political allegiance. Zhang, who regards utopia as an allegory of social and political ideas, explores how utopian visions vary in their Chinese and Western expressions, in the process commenting on contemporary literary theory and political readings of literature, both past and present.

Zhang Longxi is Chair Professor of Comparative Literature and Translation and Director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, City University of Hong Kong. He is the author of Out of the Cultural Ghetto; Mighty Opposites: From Dichotomies to Differences in the Comparative Study of China; and The Tao and the Logos: Literary Hermeneutics, East and West.

The practice of allegoresis, or the interpretive strategy that seeks latent meanings beneath the literal surface of a text, has long occupied a position in hermeneutics. By situating the analysis within both the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Chinese Confucian canon, the work highlights how different cultures have historically navigated the tension between literal interpretation and symbolic depth. This approach reflects a broader interest in comparative literary studies, which seeks to identify intellectual patterns across traditions while acknowledging the specific philosophical and religious contexts that shape the reception of canonical literature.

The study addresses the intersection of textual interpretation with moral and political life, particularly through the lens of utopian thought and the authority of sacred texts. By examining figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther alongside traditional Chinese commentators, the text situates the development of allegorical reading within the history of religion and political philosophy. Readers interested in the history of hermeneutics or the comparative study of literary theory may find it relevant to consider how these interpretive methods have informed the social and political readings of literature across different global contexts.