发送时间: 2010年7月9日 5:30
主题: congratulations to Professor Chao and to all the colleagues at IEL of the CASS

For Professor Chao Gejin and colleagues
The Institute of Ethnic Literature
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to mark the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the 
Institute of Ethnic Literature, CASS. This wonderful institution"s 
longevity is a testament to its enduring contribution to the worldwide 
understanding and appreciation of China"s many ethnic literary 
traditions.

So much of the IEL"s research and teaching dovetails with the work of 
many Harvard scholars and specifically with my own interests. As the 
Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature, I have devoted 
my career to the study of epic poetry in the Western tradition. I am 
most pleased to see China"s rich store of epic literature at the 
center of the IEL"s work. Also, as the Curator of Harvard"s Milman 
Parry Collection of Oral Literature, I have a life-long interest in 
the collection, preservation and study of folklore and oral 
performance. I deeply admire the breadth and depth of the IEL"s 
efforts in this important field.

Finally, as the Director of Harvard"s Center for Hellenic Studies, I 
am committed to the use of information technology to make research 
globally and freely available. I applaud the IEL"s dedication on this 
front. Its threefold effort, the China Ethnic Literary Archive, the 
Oral Tradition Field Study Bases, and the China Ethnic Literature 
Network delivers its work to the widest possible audience.

So, I gladly celebrate the 30th birthday of the IEL and send my best 
wishes to its teachers and researchers in an endeavor that is 
important for the whole world.

Yours in deep admiration,

Gregory Nagy
Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek LIterature and Professor of 
Comparative Literature
Curator, The Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature
Director, Center for Hellenic Studies