"Tao Yuanming (365?-427), although dismissed as a poet following his death, is now considered one of China's greatest writers. Over the centuries, portrayals of his life - some focusing on his eccentricity, others on his exemplary virtue - have elevated him to iconic status. This study of the posthumous reputation of a central figure in Chinese literary history, the mechanisms at work in the reception of his works, and the canonization of Tao himself and of particular readings of his works sheds light on the transformation of literature and culture in premodern China."--BOOK JACKET.