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The Artistic Field During The Yongle-Xuande Reign The Ming Dynasty And The Writing Of The Ministerial Style, Xianpo Yuan
The Artistic Field During The Yongle-Xuande Reign The Ming Dynasty And The Writing Of The Ministerial Style, Xianpo Yuan
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The ministerial style (taigeti), which emerged in the early Ming period (1403-1435), is not only a concept of writing, but also a concept of painting and calligraphy, reflecting the prevailing aesthetics of the time. Due to the promotion of palace-style painting and ministerial style calligraphy, high officials interwove a space of landscape with calligraphy and painting as carriers, through literary and artistic productions of poetry, essay, calligraphy and painting. Distinct from the political space at the imperial court, this is a space for relaxation in their leisure time, when they had freedom to enjoy the leisure interest of mountain and …
The Characteristics And Significance Of Ouyang Xiu’S “Guest As Host” In His Ancient-Style Prose, Guang Xu
The Characteristics And Significance Of Ouyang Xiu’S “Guest As Host” In His Ancient-Style Prose, Guang Xu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Critics since the Song Dynasty, inspired by Soto Zen theory, developed the concept of “host-guest” to analyze the composition of the ancient-style prose. Ouyang Xiu’s ancient-style prose is the representative of applying the concept of “guest as host,” or “guest before host,” or “reciprocal betwen guest and host,” or “hierarchy of guest and host.” Compared with Han Yu and Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu is better at expressing rich and fine emotions with the concept of “guest-host.” In the ancient-style prose, “guest” is prioritized over host, when the prose writings need to establish turns and twists in the textual composition and …
The Realm Aesthetics Of “Quick” In Su Shi’S Poems, Chunjie Zhu
The Realm Aesthetics Of “Quick” In Su Shi’S Poems, Chunjie Zhu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Su Shi’s advocacy and pursuit of the “quick”(kuai) aesthetic is a phenomenon that should not be ignored in the history of poetry. By appreciating the cheerful poems, imitating the “quick” poetry by literati of previous generations, and promoting the writing of such poetry, he was an early advocate who proposed and perfected the theory of “quick” poetry. In his writings, he combined cheerful and joyful feelings with writings uninterrupted by measuring and weighing the phrases, and tried to construct a “quick” aesthetic realm of poetry. Meanwhile, he injected into this realm new elements of humor and vigor, which established a …
“History” And “Historical Materials”: How To Chronologize The Fiction Theory In The Ming And Qing Dynasties, Zhiping Yang
“History” And “Historical Materials”: How To Chronologize The Fiction Theory In The Ming And Qing Dynasties, Zhiping Yang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The chronicle of fiction theory in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is not a one-dimensional chronicle of fiction theory itself only, but an overall chronicle of various elements involved in the development of fiction theory. It will deal with the diversity and complexity of the history of fiction theory taking consideration of its historical specificities so that different delineations of the history may be possible. Such a chronolo gization requires a new way to cover a broader theoretical and historical materials than conventionally conceived and break through the boundaries of the historical materials of fiction theory.The paper observes that the …
Transforming Anecdotes Into Fiction:Zeng Pu’S A Flower In A Sinful Sea And The Study Of Anecdotes In The Late Qing Dynasty And The Republic Of China, Quan Wei
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
From the perspective of New Literature after the May Fourth New Culture Movement, Liang Qichao’s “new fiction”, Lu Xun’s “satirical fiction” and old scholars’ fiction from “the School of Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies”, are all classified as old literature. Yet from the perspective of both fiction studies and feminism, Zeng Pu’s A Flower in a Sinful Sea is a new, instead of an old, novel. Its literary practice of “transforming anecdotes into fiction”, by integrating the style of the chaptered novel, note-form fiction, as well as western fiction, connects the old and new literature during the late Qing dynasty and …
An Exploration Into The “Essence Of Things” In The Poetics Of The Jin And Song Dynasties, Danjun Cai
An Exploration Into The “Essence Of Things” In The Poetics Of The Jin And Song Dynasties, Danjun Cai
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The discovery and representation of the sound and color of things became the core content in the development of the poetics of the Jin and Song Dynasties, a trend criticized by such critics as Zhong Rong and Liu Xie, who denounced the poetry that indulged in description of things and maintained that poetry should resume the traditions of metaphor and evocation (bixing 比兴) from the Han and Wei dynasties and of the relationship between the object and the self as expressed in “correspondences between feelings and objects.” Such criticism was advocated by later generations, and resulted in many negative comments …
Evaluation Of The Identity Of “Fengren” In Classical Chinese Poetics, Shiwei Lv
Evaluation Of The Identity Of “Fengren” In Classical Chinese Poetics, Shiwei Lv
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
“Fengren” is a reference of identity from The Book of Poetry. Classical Chinese poetics has formed a unique evaluation of the identity relevant to the discourse of “Fengren,” which is suggestive of the ethics in The Book of Poetry. In contrast to the identity of “Saoren,” “Fengren”’s identity is linked with political criticism and sarcasm. As “Feng” and “Ya” are gradually distinguished, “Fengren” is differentiated from “Cairen” and becomes increasingly recognizable in terms of expressing meanings metaphorically through things. Thanks to the author community and the content of “Feng,” the style of folk lyric is formed with “Fengren” at its …
On The Tongcheng School’S Preposition Of “Both Poetry And Prose Following One Principle”, Wuzheng Pan
On The Tongcheng School’S Preposition Of “Both Poetry And Prose Following One Principle”, Wuzheng Pan
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, literary theories tended to consider poetry and prose as following one principle of composition. The Tongcheng School in the Qing Dynasty emphasized on differentiating genres and opposed the blending of elements of other genres into the ancient-style prose, but this school excelled at both poetry and prose writing, and their proposition of “both poetry and prose following one principle” became a consensus. While the Gong’an School and Yuan Mei’s xingling (spirituality) poetics exploited the Confucian poetics to promote the writing of private life and personal sentiments, the Tongcheng School advocated the virtues of the …
Pre-Qin Concepts Of “Image” And Aesthetic Imagism In Chinese Poetry, Yiming Huang
Pre-Qin Concepts Of “Image” And Aesthetic Imagism In Chinese Poetry, Yiming Huang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Chinese culture and Chinese way of thinking share the characteristic of imagistic correlation, which may be termed as “image-oriented thinking” or “imagistic thinking”. This characteristic is related to many concepts concerning images such as “regarding objects for images” and “watching for image through divination” in The Book of Changes, “no shape in the grand image” in Laozi, and “intangibility of images” by Zhuangzi. A delineation and analytical examination of the concepts concerning image in the pre-Qin literature may illuminate our understanding of how the concepts of image influenced the direct representation of images in the poetry, and the prioritization of …
A Textual Critique On Mencius' Perception Of "Tracing Back Intent Through Understanding", Hongqiu Huang
A Textual Critique On Mencius' Perception Of "Tracing Back Intent Through Understanding", Hongqiu Huang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
One long-standing debate in Chinese literary criticism and hermeneutics has been over the meaning of "intent" (yi) in Mencius' notion of "tracing back intent through understanding (yiyi nizhi).The debate between the text-centred and the reader-centred is renown due to Qing scholar Wu Qi's (1615-75) positing his interpreting Mencius' "intent" as idea of antique scholars against what he understood to be Han-Song scholars' interpretation of it as personal opinion or conjecture opinion of ancient people. The Han-Song Confucian scholars understood Mencius' "intent" from the reader's perspective, as the intent of text-based reader. Scholars in the Ming and Qing dynasties referred to …
The Interaction Of Yin And Yang: Ouyang Xiu's Idea Of Music And His Poetics, Wei Cheng
The Interaction Of Yin And Yang: Ouyang Xiu's Idea Of Music And His Poetics, Wei Cheng
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Ouyang Xiu regarded poetry as derived from music and he would prescribe poetry with his idea of music. His idea can be traced back to "Records of Music (yue ji)" in The Book of Rites, as he argued that music is originated from the vital energy (qi) of Yin and Yang. However, he abstracted the materiality from poetry and thus attributed emotional appeal to both music and poetry as their main function. In Ouyang's view, the imbalance of vital energy between Yin and Yang manifests in the diversity of emotions in music and poetry, while the circulation of the vital …
Elegance And Naturalness: Two Aesthetic Dimensions Of Traditional Chinese Thought On The Qin Music, Jing Zhang, Shuzhi Zhao
Elegance And Naturalness: Two Aesthetic Dimensions Of Traditional Chinese Thought On The Qin Music, Jing Zhang, Shuzhi Zhao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The qin (a type of seven-stringed plucked musical instrument) music plays a very important role in traditional Chinese traditional culture. The qin is the most frequently used musical instrument in classical Chinese literature and is representative of elegant music. The rich history of the qin music has engendered engendered profound traditional aesthetic thought on it, which has two important dimensions: 1) the concept of "elegance" that centers on the idea of "music as education" in Confucian ideology, and 2) the concept of "naturalness" with that has its origins in Daoist thought. These two concepts become unified in the prolonged history …
Meng Haoran's Poetic Ideas Reflected In His Fusion Of Ancient-Style And Regulated Verses Into Five-Character Poetry, Zhao Yang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The fusion of ancient-style and regulated verses in Meng Haoran's five-character poetry exemplifies the complicated relationship between ancient-style and contemporary-style regulated verses in the High Tang. His "regulated verses with ancient quality" had either gentle or steep patterns of tonality, and developed more flexible and consistent structures in variations of parallelism. On the other hand, his "ancient-style verses with regulated quality" were often delicate and fluent in parallelistic transformations. During the High Tang, poetry creations of these two types often shared some themes, and were also related to Meng's political frustrations or personal leisure which in turn reflected the subjectivity …
Playful Reception Of Classics: On Parodization Of Du Fu's Poems In The Song Dynasty, Hua Yao
Playful Reception Of Classics: On Parodization Of Du Fu's Poems In The Song Dynasty, Hua Yao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Playful writings are relatively less researched on in Chinese literary criticism, compared with the more exuberant discussions such as the parody theory in the Western literary tradition. This paper takes as example the parodizations of Du Fu's poems in the Song dynasty to explore the parodical writing and its implications in the reception of canonical poetry. As Du Fu's poetry was canonized in the Song Dynasty, increasingly more parodies of Du Fu's poems were seen. The popularity and publicity of Du Fu's poetry prompted the parodization, while his unique style and textual features became the basis for parodies, both of …
The Origins Of Yao Xie's Poetics And The Construction Of The "Siming School" Of Poetry In East Zhejiang, Chen Li, Yazhong Ma
The Origins Of Yao Xie's Poetics And The Construction Of The "Siming School" Of Poetry In East Zhejiang, Chen Li, Yazhong Ma
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Yao Xie's early poetry activities in the Zhenhu Poetry Club of Ningbo reflected that Yao Xie, Li Zhi and Ye Yuanjie were all influenced by Wu Dexuan and had similar views in terms of poetics. Thus, a possible path to explore the origins of Yao Xie's poetics is to consult Li Zhi's Poetry Remarks by Baihua Hermit, then to trace to the theories of Wu Dexuan, Song Dazun and Yao Nai, and finally to refer to the works on poetics by other members of the Zhunhu Poetry Club, particularly Chen Jin's Answering Questions in the Bamboos. This reveals the generative …
"Imagery Beyond Images" In The Creative Process Of Idea-Imagery, Zhirong Zhu
"Imagery Beyond Images" In The Creative Process Of Idea-Imagery, Zhirong Zhu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Imagery beyond images (IbIs) evolves from the infusion of subjective affect into object or event images in aesthetic activities, during the process of which the subject perceives object and event images in the form of imagination-ignited aesthetic experience. IbIs results from the subject's contemplation on physical images and therefore constitutes a creation out of the empty and an expansion of time and space. IbIs depends on transforms physical images. It shows itself as a symbiosis of emptiness and haveness and even goes beyond imagery per se to the extent of pointing to infinity. As IbIs is built on the subject's …
Exemplary Principle And Personal Consideration: The Dilemma In Editing An Anthology Of Contemporary Writers, Ren Liu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The detachment of literati's identity from scholar-officials became a turning point in literary anthology compilation as the compilation which had used to serve as a form of literary criticism began to take on an additional function of shaping social identity for literati groups. The principle of "excluding living people" was since abandoned and the compilation of works by contemporary writers started. As a result, the swaying power of interpersonal relationships excluded by the principle of "excluding living people" inserted itself into the selection process, thus undermining the exemplary principle as the only principle. The mutual restraint between the principle of …
The Cataloguing Method In The Book Of The Later Han Dynasty And The Anthologization Principles During The East Han Period, Yamei Shi
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The cataloguing method in Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han Dynasty started the mode to categorize literary works on the basis of writing styles (genre) with author's names. This mode was not constructed by Fan Ye from his understanding of the concepts of literary styles and related written materials during the Southern dynasties; instead, it was a description of the configurations and concepts of literary styles during the Eastern Han Dynasty based on his mastery of related historical materials. Therefore, this mode was historically characterized. The historical specificities implied in the method encompass, the compiling status of various writing …
Hong Mai's Experiences As Reflected In His Prefaces To Yijian Zhi, Dan Zhan
Hong Mai's Experiences As Reflected In His Prefaces To Yijian Zhi, Dan Zhan
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Hong Mai's prefaces to Yijian Zhi (Record of the Listener) are of great significance in ways that they not only help readers understand his conscious construction of novel theory but also enable him to develop strong vitality from the process of compilation. The interaction between the perspective of a historian and that of an allegorist reveals his life experiences and rational thinking during the process of compilation. The stories in Yinjian Zhi are legendary in nature, and so is the process of compilation as reflected in his series of prefaces. To a certain extent, this "double legendary nature" is a …
On The Factors To "The Extraordinary Out Of The Ordinary" In The Late Ming Dynasty, Gang Chen
On The Factors To "The Extraordinary Out Of The Ordinary" In The Late Ming Dynasty, Gang Chen
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Teasing "the extraordinary out of the ordinary" is a prevailing aesthetic taste in the late Ming dynasty, initiated by Li Zhi in the intellectual field and proliferated into the creative writing of novels and plays. This research delineates the development of this ideal in the Late Ming dynasty, and explains the reasons for the ideal from three aspects: zeitgeist, partisan contestation and literary claims. It hopes to explore the cultural implications and values with reference to the historical context.
The Early And High Tang Poets' Inheritance And Development Of The Traditions Of Yanzhi O RYuanqing, Qinghai Liu
The Early And High Tang Poets' Inheritance And Development Of The Traditions Of Yanzhi O RYuanqing, Qinghai Liu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Two main conceptualizations of the essence of poetry before the Tang dynasty are yanzhi, expressing aspirations, and yuanqing, conveying emotions. Tang poets inherited and developed both traditions, and their poetry reflected the conceptualizations in different ways during different periods. Although Tang Emperor Taizong wrote poems in the mode of expressing aspirations and ordered officials to follow suit, a majority of poets believed in the mode of conveying emotions. During the reigns of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, the court considered conveying emotions as the aim of poetry, while Luo Binwang and Wang Bo followed both modes of yuanqing and …
The Selection Of The Scholars In Chinese Textbooks And Homogenization In The Canonization Process During The Republic Of China Period, Hongbo Zhang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Ancient novels such as The Scholars, The Travel Notes of Lao Can, and The Water Margin were frequently selected into Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools during the Republic of China period. Because The Scholars was closely related to the Vernacular Movement and catered to the taste of young students, it came to be the most frequently selected novel, and its excerpt, "The Childhood of Wang Mian," became the most frequently selected story. During the Republican period, Chinese textbooks were arranged in accordance with the theme, language, and era of each work, and editors tended to select similar rather …
The Paragon Of Literati, The Decorum Of Essays, And The Signature Of Civil Administration: Remarks On The Term "Three Prose Writers Of Our Qing Dynasty", Yingde Guo
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The term "three prose writers of our Qing dynasty" was popularized after the compilation and spreading of Song Luo's The Anthology of Three Prose Writers of Our Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. While this term was purely Song Luo's personal coinage, it was widely accepted by his contemporaries who considered Hou Fangyu, Wei Xi, and Wang Wan as the paragons of literati for their "civilian spirits", upright personality and responsibility for the country. Song's Anthology epitomizes the cultural origins and stylistic standards of classical prose, demonstrating literati's consciousness and efforts to define, mold, and exemplify the styles …
On The Poetic Method "Duotai Huangu": A Clarification Of Misunderstandings, Changhong Zhang
On The Poetic Method "Duotai Huangu": A Clarification Of Misunderstandings, Changhong Zhang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Duotai huangu(lit. grabbing the embryo and changing the bones) is an important proposition in classical Chinese poetics. However, in the process of transmission, some recipients are haunted by misunderstandings about its conceptual expression, connotation, and poetic value. These misunderstandings are mainly manifested in five aspects. First, the essence of the method of duotai is "to imitate" rather than "to see through" the original poems. Second,duotaiis often erroneously referred to as "tuotai", the meaning of which is fundamentally different from that ofduotai. Third, duotai and huangu are two correlated poetic methods separated by the degree of innovation. The conflation of duotai …
Function Words Through The Critical Lens Of Traditional Stylistics And Its Later Interpretations In The Early Modern Era, Fangzhou Chang
Function Words Through The Critical Lens Of Traditional Stylistics And Its Later Interpretations In The Early Modern Era, Fangzhou Chang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Essayists of the Tang and Song dynasties consciously celebrated the rhetorical effect of function words, which made function words an important subject in traditional stylistics. During the Qing dynasty, discussions on function words had two voices. In contrast to the school of philology's linguistic approach, the school of rhetoric focused on the style of writing to illuminate the rhetorical significance of function words. In the early modern era, Chinese scholars familiarized themselves with the categorization of Western learning and made attempts to reveal the characteristics of classical prose from a holistic perspective. By looking at function words' rhetorical effect in …
The Dissolution Of Dualism And The Reflective Nature Of The "Contestation Between The Tang And The Song Poetry" In The Qing Dynasty, Yunyun Tang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The "contestation between the Tang and the Song poetry" in the Qing dynasty is commonly viewed dualistically as a rivalry between the pro-Tang poetry group and the pro-Song poetry group. However, the said contestation was not an dispute over learning from the Tang poetry or the Song poetry in poetry writing practice, because their theoretical footings of the two groups do not cover the same ground to form a dualist opposition. At the core of the contestation are the dispute over the value of the Song poetry, and the discussions of traditional poetical concepts such as "poetry expressing ideals," temperament …
The Idea About Writing To "Convery The Truth" Of The Aixuan School In The Southern Song Period And Its Cultural Significance, Tianxi Zheng
The Idea About Writing To "Convery The Truth" Of The Aixuan School In The Southern Song Period And Its Cultural Significance, Tianxi Zheng
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The four generations of the epigones of the Aixuan School in the Southern Song dynasty laid equal emphases on wen and dao, the artistic and ideological aspects of literature. The importance of human nature rose to prominence in this process, and finally obtained the same position as the ideological requirement for writing to "convey the truth". The increasing focus on the nature of literature was a projection of the secularization of Neo-Confucianism from the Southern Song period. Despite the Neo-Confucian repression of literature, it was a special phenomenon that the Aixuan School insisted on its belief in literature and continued …
The Significance Of "Sense Of Beauty" In Eighteenth-Century British Aesthetics, Jialian Li, Yunfeng Lei
The Significance Of "Sense Of Beauty" In Eighteenth-Century British Aesthetics, Jialian Li, Yunfeng Lei
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Centering on "sense of beauty," the inner sense theory developed by Shaftesbury and Hutcheson is highly significant to eighteenth-century British aesthetics. However, due to linguistic and cultural differences, these two concepts have not been well received by the Chinese intelligentsia. By focusing on "sense of beauty," this paper aims to delineate the concept's development in eighteenth-century British aesthetics and evaluate its academic significance in the history of Western aesthetics, with the purpose of supporting the theoretical construction of contemporary Chinese aesthetics.
On The Theoretical Construction Of The Characteristics Of Tongguang Style Poetry By Tongguang Style Poets, Xiaowei Zhang
On The Theoretical Construction Of The Characteristics Of Tongguang Style Poetry By Tongguang Style Poets, Xiaowei Zhang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The Tongguang Style poetry, which had its origins in the Song School poetry during the reigns of Emperor Daoguang and Xianfeng (1821-1861), represented a profound innovative force within traditional poetry in both theory and creation. Tongguang Style poets also had systematically theoretical construction of the characteristics of their creation. They rebelled against the "orthodox form" in previous poetry and opposed Zhang Zhidong's theory of "qingqie" (explicit), by raising a set of binaries such as "qingqie" and "pise" (recondite), as well as "guangyi" (transparent) and "jianshen" (difficult). Zheng Xiaoxu also said that in modern society, "everything changes with disturbance outside and …
The Image Consciousness In Literary Criticism Of Fu In Ancient China, Jie Xu
The Image Consciousness In Literary Criticism Of Fu In Ancient China, Jie Xu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Image consciousness in literary criticism in ancient China is most prominent in the criticism of Fu (Rhapsody), which can be seen from Liu Xie's "describing objects as they appear" in "Interpreting the Genre Rhapsody" (501-2 A.D.) to Zhu Guangqian's comment that "Rhapsody is akin to pictures" in On Poetry (1943). The imagist representation in the criticism tradition involves a way of "picturely" thinking developed from the fusion of verbal and pictorial horizons, with theoretical basis in rhapsody's linguistic characteristic of graphic description and the aesthetic configuration on objects and images. The image-representing way of thinking and the graphic criticism of …