Rulin waishi (the unofficial history of the scholars) is more than a landmark in the history of the Chinese novel. This 18th-century work, which was deeply embedded in the intellectual and literary discourses of its time, challenges the reader to come to grips with the mid-Qing debates over ritual and ritualism, and the construction of history, narrative and lyricism. Wu Jingzi's (1701-54) ironic portrait of literati life was unprecedented in its comprehensive treatment of the degeneration of mores, the predicaments of official institutions, and the Confucian elite's futile struggle to reassert moral and cultural authority. Like many of his fellow literati, Wu found the vernacular novel an expressive and malleable medium for discussing elite concerns. Through a close reading of Rulin waishi, Shang Wei seeks to answer such questions as: what accounts for the literati's enthusiasm for writing and reading novels?; does this enthusiasm bespeak a conscious effort to develop a community of critical discourse outside the official world?; why did literati authors eschew publication?; what are the bases for their social and cultural criticisms?; how far do their criticisms go, given the authors' alleged Confucianism? ; and if literati authors were interested solely in recovering moral and cultural hegemony for their class, how can we explain the irony found in their works?

商伟，1962年出生于福建省福州市。1982年毕业于北京大学中文系，两年后获硕士学位，专修魏晋南北朝隋唐文学。1988年赴哈佛大学东亚系攻读博士学位，研究领域转向元明清小说戏曲。1997年任教于哥伦比亚大学东亚系，2003年获终身教职。后任狄百瑞东亚人文讲座教授。自2011年起，执杜氏中国文化讲座教席。

研究课题以戏曲小说为主，涉猎思想史、文化史、出版文化和阅读史等领域。著作包括：Rulin waishi and Cultural Trans for mationin Late Imperial China（Cambridge:HarvardAsianCenter,2003），《文人的时代及其终结：1723-1840》（孙康宜和宇文所安主编《剑桥中国文学史》下册第四章）；正在写作有关《金瓶梅词话》的专著，新著《评点与图像：（红楼梦>现象及其它》即将出版。