Dr. Lucas Bender

Biography

Lucas Bender is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and the Humanities Program at Yale University. His primary research interests lie in early medieval Chinese literature, focusing on texts from approximately 200 BCE to 900 CE. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2016, where his dissertation explored the work of the esteemed Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu, emphasizing its pivotal role in reshaping the ethical dimensions of poetry in Chinese history. Bender is currently revising his dissertation into a book and concurrently working on a project that investigates the fracture in textual traditions that was formalized at the end of the Chinese classical period, often categorized as 'literary' versus 'philosophical'. He possesses a longstanding interest in Chinese religions and plans to publish articles on medieval Classicism and the interactions between poetry and literary theory found in medieval Daoist and Buddhist canons. His teaching encompasses Chinese literature and thought from the Han to the Song dynasties, alongside comparative studies. Bender is particularly intrigued by the comparative aspects of religion and philosophy between China and the West, especially regarding how literary works engage with ethical cultivation and the tragic visions of human existence.

Research Interests