Chinese Studies Commons^™

An Analysis Of Visual Behavior In Art Cognition, Chenguang Ling

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

"Looking" is an important process through which men understand the object, know themselves and construct the world. The analysis of looking can be unfolded in the following three aspects. The first aspect takes looking as seeing. Looking is an action while seeing is a result. However, "looking" does not necessarily means "having seen." Seeing reveals the object, when the object originally not focused on is presented by visual selecting and focusing. This is a process from invisibility to visibility. The second aspect takes looking as "seeing-in" or finding out. "Seeing-in" embodies the meaning of the depth model in the visual …

Humanity-Restoration And Artistic Creation: The Interfusion Of Liu Xizai's Ideas Of Inner Saint And Poetic Virtue, Tao Ma

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

The Qing-Dynasty Confucian scholar Liu Xizai (1813-1881) expanded his idea about inner saint in terms of philosophy, literature and arts, and self-cultivation throughout his life. In such works as Private Words to Uphold the Will (Chizhi Shuyan) and Reading Notes from Ancient Tung Tree Studio (Gutong Shuwo Zhaji), Liu explored the ways to integrate life and art, human nature and artificial skills, with strong humanistic concerns. Underlying his concept of inner saint is the fusion of the idea of "literary creation as the study of mind" and the ideal of poetic virtue. Inner saintliness is achieved in the mind’s return …

The Significance Of Hu Yinglin's "Generational Stylistic Degradation" In Poetics And Culture, Minghui Wang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Stylistic degradation over the generations is a claim made by Ming-Dynasty scholar Hu Yinglin (1551-1602) on classical Chinese poetic tradition. This paper argues that Hu's claim should not be treated merely as a concept of literary regression but should be taken more seriously as Hu's criticism of the uncontained proliferation of lyricism in poetry and corrosion of "ideal-expressing" poetic tradition. Hu's apparent retro idea of poetics conveyed in "generational stylistic degradation" is closely related with the tradition of "poetic arousal and projection (兴寄)" in ancient Chinese poetics and his reaffirmation of poetic cultivation, while poetic style (格) is a holistic …

Aestheticization Of Evil And The Theory Of Poetic Justice, Jian'gang Wang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

As one of the common themes in literature and art, evil can be transformed and purified through creative aestheticization and obtain a new quality which the ordinary life cannot provide. Meanwhile, it also can be endowed with a poetic value and aesthetic ethics. Therefore, evil in art may not only help to engage the reader in understanding life but also plays a big role of providing aesthetic pleasure. Furthermore, the paradox of the aestheticization of evil will eventually point out the issue of literary ethics and trigger the people to ponder on poetic justice.

On The Word-Image Intertextuality And Its Aesthetic Characteristics Of The Illustrated Book Big Breasts And Wide Hips, Hongyue Wang, Chunlei Yang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

To examine the word-image intertextuality in the illustrated novels have become a new approach in literary studies, through which the relationship between illustrations and the novel itself is investigated. Mo Yan's novel Big Breasts and Wide Hips has been published with 24 pencil illustrations in 2003, and it can be seen that these illustrations are not randomly painted and inserted into the novel. The paper examines the dialogue and intertextuality between the text and the illustrations and analyzes the narrative modes of images and language.

The Disciplinary Boundaries And Intrinsic Basis Of Aesthetics Of Theory Of Life, Jianjiang Wang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Aesthetics of theory of life establishes its boundaries through the distinction from social aesthetics, ethic aesthetics, natural aesthetics, and aesthetics education as well as the aesthetic realm. Aesthetics of theory of life has the features of the study of morphology, which construct its inner-aesthetics. Inner-aesthetics is characterized by non-object, inner-vision and spiritual realm, and becomes the signature features and intrinsic basis. The life ideal, spiritual realm and moral cultivation construct the specific connotation of Chinese aesthetics of theory of life. The paper claims that the research of aesthetics of theory of life can be deepened only through the mastery of …

On The Construction Of Aesthetic Image In Aesthetic Activities, Zhirong Zhu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Beauty is aesthetic image constructed by the aesthetic subject in aesthetic activities. The process of image creation is a dynamic process of creation which transcends materiality and sensuality. Aesthetic activity as the process of image construction is a process in which the subject achieves spiritual pleasure through experiencing external things, bringing forth emotions and imagination and gratifying the desire of creation and self-achievement. This process unites the intuitive comprehension, judgement and creation. The relationship between image and artistic site is that between the form and the spirit, with the image taking various forms. The image is the embodiment of the …

The Nature Of Crime And The Role Of The Judge: Judge Bao In Ballad-Stories, L. Idema Wilt, Guanwen Wu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

The character of Judge Bao, which derives from the historical Bao Zheng (999-1062), starts to make his appearance in the various genres of vernacular literature in the period 1250-1450. While vernacular stories (huaben) and plays (zaju and xiwen) on Judge Bao have been widely known throughout the twentieth century and have been analyzed repeatedly, the ballad-stories (cihua) on Judge Bao were only discovered nearby in Jiading, Zhejiang in 1967. While the initial publication of the facsimile edition of the ballad-stories created quite a stir and resulted in a number of publications, this initial enthusiasm soon ebbed away and the new …

An Ontological Comparison Between Rhapsody And Tomb Art In The Han Dynasty, Xiaoyang Wang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Rhapsody in the Han Dynasty is commonly categorized into two sub-genres, namely, prosaic rhapsody (greater rhapsody) with more descriptive details and lyric rhapsody (lesser rhapsody) which is often used to express personal thoughts and feelings. The tomb art in this paper specifically refers to the relief sculpture and the mural painting. The comparative study between rhapsody and tomb art in current scholarship has rarely taken their ontological relationship into consideration. Greater rhapsody and mural paintings may be considered as mainstream or upper-class art forms while lesser rhapsody and relief sculpture tend to be private or lower-class oriented. Recognizing the ontological …

Cross-Cultural Recognition Of Musical Expressiveness, O. Young James

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

According to the resemblance theory, music owes its expressive character to its resemblance to human expressive behaviour. Discerning the expressive character of a work of music is a matter recognizing the resemblance between the music and expressive behaviour. For example, slow music is often experienced as sad and this is at least part since the speech of sad people is slow. Certain forms of expressive behaviour are found in many cultures. Consequently one would predict that members of one culture are able to discern the expressive character of music produced by members of other cultures. There is considerable empirical evidence …

Kierkegaard And 19Th-Century Urban Space Of Copenhagen: A Modernistic Critique, Jinjian Tianwang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

With the development of modernization process in Western capitalist society, modern metropolises appeared in succession. Many Marxists in Western countries examined the relationship between the transitions of urban space and modernity critically, but few researches have focused on the urban space of Copenhagen. Tivoli garden appeared as an innovation while rebuilding Copenhagen, which incarnated the modernity of urban space in Copenhagen. As a citizen in Copenhagen who had special individual career and religious background, Kierkegaard had established an important relationship with church, and he opened up a new way to critique modernity through theology. He argued that the authentic interior …

Literary Research Methodology In Big Data Era: A Survey Of Franco Moretti's Quantitative Analysis, Xiaohui Chen

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Literary research in the Big Data era can hardly avoid the clamp of computing, and quantitative approach will eventually become one of the important approaches. This paper claims that Franco Moretti's literary quantitative analysis provides a typical example for literary study in the Big Data era. His method of quantitative analysis demonstrates the possibility of the methodological transition from natural sciences to social sciencesvand to humanities. With Popper's theory and contemporary IT advances behind his approach, Moretti exposes the literary significance of the change of novel’s titles after analyzing the titles of Britain's 7000 novel, which also proves the effectiveness …

On The Site-Specificity Of Public Art, Baldini Andrea

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Since the stipulation of the NEA's new guidelines in 1974, works of public art and site-specificity issues became inextricably intertwined. The aim of this paper is to clarify the relationship between works of public art and the specific space they "inhabit." I will develop my analysis by considering three case studies from contemporary public art: Richard Serra's Tilted Arc, Pino Castagna's In pietra alpestra e dura and Mauro Vangi's La Lupa. I will argue that public artworks that are site-specific function possibly following two directions that are dialectically related. On the one hand, public artworks "transform" the space where they …

David Harvey's Interpretations Of Space In French Literature, Jin Liu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

David Harvey is one of the important figures who mingle traditions in geographic research and Marxism in the "spatial turn." His idea of space is developed in the three dimensions of ontology, modernity and art. In the dimension of art, his criticism practice of French literature centered on Paris opens a new horizon for spatial criticism of literary and cultural studies, and it also builds a new platform for realistic critical Marxist literary theory.

From "Guideways Through Mountains And Seas" To "Film Slides": A Study On The Gestation Of Lu Xun's Concept Of Image, Xu Xu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

The paper posits that Guideways through Mountains and Seas and film slides are two of the starting points to investigate Lu Xun's cognition of and choice between "cultural image" and "political image." Lu Xun had eventually blended both for the purpose of the Enlightenment through Image. Lu Xun's concept of image is two-folded. On the one hand, on the functional level of images, Lu Xun invested the image with the function of enlightenment, through his affirmation of the universality of images, caution against the frivolous consumption of images, and reflection over the enslavement of images. On the other hand, on …

Manliness And Masculinity: Towards A Distinction Of Two Key Terms In Men's Studies, Hongsheng Sui

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Manliness and masculinity are two related and different concepts, and there have been inaccurate rendering into Chinese and confusing usage, but there has little study of the distinction between them in domestic academic circle. The paper sets out to distinguish the two terms from the perspectives of philosophy, anthropology, sociology and culturology, in hope of distinguishing them in terms of their etymological and cultural development, their definition, scope and criteria, their value orientation and judgment, and their construction strategies and modes of practice. The paper aims at redressing the misconceptions about manliness and shedding light on the predicaments of modern …

Iconic Consciousness: The Material Feeling Of Meaning, C. Alexander Jeffrey, Rui Gao, Di Zhao

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

This article suggests an iconic turn in cultural sociology. Icons can be seen, it is argued, as symbolic condensations that root social meanings in material form, allowing the abstractions of cognition and morality to be subsumed, to be made invisible, by aesthetic shape. Meaning is made iconically visible, in other words, by the beautiful, sublime, ugly, or simply by the mundane materiality of everyday life. But it is via the senses that iconic power is made. This new approach to meaning is compared with others — with materialism, semiotics, aestheticism, moralism, realism, and spiritualism.

Spatial Experience And Artistic Expression: A View From The Perspective Of Historical-Geographical Materialism, Jia Yan

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Harvey David's historical-geographical materialism provides a unique viewpoint for understanding and interpreting the spatial experience and expression in artistic creation. According to this theory, the meaning of space is always in a constant flux, and its complexity is not determined by the concept itself but depends on changes in the historical condition of human material production and the context. In the experience of space, physical space reflects the characteristics of human production and materials and is always accompanied by personal psychological experience and historical imagination. The artistic expression of space, which often becomes the intermediary between the social and historical …

Ouverture And Closure In Interpretive Contexts, Margolis Joseph

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

I posit as polar extremes of interpretative practice the well-known model of closure Dante reports as guiding or governing medieval literature and the opposed model of acknowledging different degrees and kinds of openness somewhat differently supported by Umberto Eco and Roland Barthes, that suggest the limiting considerations of "the only possible right way" and the increasing tolerance and scatter, characteristic of our time, of contingently contrived responses and associations that convey a sense of relevance but are prepared to dispense with distinctions of any strong methodological sort. Contemporary interpretation, particularly in the arts, tends increasingly to favor openness; accordingly, the …

The Debate On The Grade Of Tao Yuanming In Zhong Rong'sTastes Of PoetryIn Modern Academic History, Xun Yang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

In his Tastes of Poetry, Zhong Rong (468-518) put Tao Yuanming to the middle grade, which caused much objection from later critics. Wang Shizhen (1526-90) thought that Tao should be put to the top grade, although he had not done any theoretical analysis or produced any evidence from research literature. The recent research on Tastes of Poetry found that Zhong Rong had put Tao Yuanming into the rank of top grade poets, as quoted from Taiping Yulan. The entailed debate evolves round such issues as whether the critics had been reading the original Tastes of Poetry and whether Zhong Rong's …

Xunzi And Solomon On Aesthetic Responses To Loss, Higgins Kathleen

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Emotions related to loss are commonly expressed and embodied in aesthetic forms, including both enduring works such as monuments and performances, such as rituals. Xunzi, in his response to Mozi's criticism of grandiose funerals, helps to explain the value of aesthetically elaborate rituals for dealing with the emotions experienced by those who survive the death of a loved one. Xunzi's account also dovetails nicely with the concerns of Robert C. Solomon, who claims that grief, despite appearances to the contrary, is a functional emotion and that grieving is morally obligatory. Aesthetically elaborate rituals provide symbolic satisfaction of the longing for …

The Taiwanese-American Perspective On Discrimination In English Language Teaching, Kuan Cheng Song

Master's Theses

This is a qualitative study examining the perspectives of five Taiwanese-American English teachers on their experiences of discrimination in the English language-teaching field of Taiwan. An extensive amount of literature has been written about the nativeness paradigm and its effect on the English language-teaching field, but the Taiwanese-American experience concerning those issues has yet to be explored. The study used Asian Critical Race Theory, Social Identity Theory and Asian American Racial Identity Theory to analyze the history of English language teaching in Taiwan, the critical studies on native and non-native English language teachers and the social issues affecting Asian Americans …

Whether You See Me Or Not By Tan Xiaojing, Jun Tang

Transference

Translated from the Chinese by Jun Tang.

Rainy Night In Linqing, Spring Rain, And Evening Meditations By Yao Nai, Andrew Gudgel

Transference

Translated from the Chinese by Andrew Gudgel.

The Tree With Good Fruit Or Bad Fruit: An Evaluation Of The House Church Movement And The Three-Self Patriotic Movement In China, Jiying Song

Seminary Masters Theses

This thesis is a research on the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the House Church Movement (HCM) in China. These two movements have produced two church systems in China: the Official Church and the Underground Church. With the method of ―China-centered,‖ I present Christianity as a world religion and explore its development in Chinese society. In chapter 1, I explain the motivation of this research and the methodology I utilize in my approach to Chinese church history. I give a general historical background in chapter 2 and divide the Chinese church history into five eras: the preparation for Christianity (before …

單音漢字與漢詩詩體之内聯性, Zhongqi Cai

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

本文首節對西方漢學界中盛行的漢字字形決定漢詩藝術的觀點提出質疑，後續六節則從分析漢字字音對漢詩藝術的影響入手，剥絲抽繭，一層層地尋繹漢詩詩體之内聯性。首先發現的是，漢字每個字的發音是單音節，而絶大多數字又是含有意義的詞或是能與其他字結合的語素，從而使漢詩發展出一種獨一無二的節奏。此節奏的特點是韻律節奏和意義節奏總體是合二爲一，但兩者之間又存有分離的張力。其次，我們又探察到漢詩節奏與句法密不可分的關係。就傳統句法而言，每種詩體獨特的節奏都決定該詩體組詞造句的主要語序以及可以有何種變動的可能。從現代語法學句法的角度來看，每種詩體獨特的節奏決定了該詩體可以承載何種主謂句式，在時空邏輯的框架呈現何種主客觀現象，同時又可以承載何種題評句，超越時空邏輯關係來並列意象和言語，藉以激發讀者的想象活動。最後，我們從句法演繹到章法、篇法，發現三者都是遵循同樣的組織原則。主謂句所遵循的是時空和因果相連的綫性組織原則，而此原則運用在章節和詩篇的層次之上，便構造出連貫一致的綫性章節和詩篇。同樣，題評句所遵循的是時空和因果斷裂的組織原則，而此原則運用在章節和詩篇的層次之上，便構造出各種不同的斷裂章節和詩篇結構。

需要强調的是，漢詩節奏、句法、結構之間的這種内聯不是靜止的關係，而是呈現不斷發展的動態。在近三千年的中國詩史中，爲了開拓新的詩境，詩人孜孜不倦地挖掘漢語自身演變（尤其是雙音化發展）所帶來的機會，借鑒不同的民間音樂曲調以及各類散文，不斷發展出音義皆流轉完美的新節奏，並創造出與之相應的新句式和新結構，爲新詩境的産生提供了所必須的語言空間。新節奏、句式、結構的同時産生通常標誌著一種新詩體的誕生。

早期五言詩中的聲調對立 : 三組詩歌作品的量化分析, Chenqing Song

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

基於對聲調排列的觀察，一些研究者，包括王力和徐青等，提出漢末魏晉的詩人就曾有過在五言詩中創造聲調對立效果的嘗試。爲了評估這些觀點是否正確，本文在研究過程中採用了量化分析的方法來對三組早期文人五言詩作品中的聲調對立進行分析。這三組作品分别爲《古詩十九首》，曹植的五言詩及謝靈運的五言詩。與以往研究的不同之處在於，本文將這些詩歌的資料置於豐富而具體的語言背景下進行分析詮釋。將這三組永明時期之前的詩歌中的聲調對立句的百分比與另外兩個比率進行了比較：其一，聲調對立五言句在同時期的散文文本中的百分比；其二，聲調對立在聲調隨機排列的情況下應出現的百分比。比較結果顯示，聲調對立是否存在於早期五言詩中的這一問題，並不能以簡單的“有”或“無”來進行作答。在這個歷史時期，聲調對立現象處於一個複雜的過渡階段。與其説它源於爲達到某種特定創作效果的有意識處理，不如將其看作是一種憑藉直覺所做的創作行爲。

從五古的敘述節奏看杜甫"詩中有文"的創變, Xiaoyin Ge

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

杜甫在初盛唐五言普遍受宋齊體調影響的背景下，解決了使中長篇五古恢復漢魏古調的問題，因而是唐代五古繼陳子昂之後的又一重大轉關。但杜甫並非簡單地從形式格調模擬漢魏，也不是像盛唐詩人那樣通過規避近體聲律來創作古詩，而是在追溯漢魏古詩創作原理的基礎上，從當代生活語言中提煉新的五古節奏。在化用漢魏式的比興、句法和章法的同時，他更注重學習漢魏古詩善於概括人情之常的特徵，並且深入發掘五古以單行散句敘述的潛力，加大連貫敘述的密度和句段節奏的緊湊感，探索了在詩歌中展開敘述的多種表現方式，從而形成了“詩中有文”的重要特色。且杜甫既使五言古詩本來便於敘述的特長在中長篇中得到最大程度的發揮，又通過抒情節奏的主導嚴格把握了詩與文的基本界線。杜詩之所以能成爲“詩史”，五古的這一重要創變也爲其提供了體制的極大便利。

《詩經》疊音詞的語音象徵, Jonathan Smith, Zhihui Zhong

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

本文研究《詩經》（Book of Odes）———一部最早在兩千多年前以古代漢語吟誦的詩歌總集———的語音特性。《詩經》留給我們的只有文本形式，這些詩的許多表達功能注定是無法恢復的。然而，下面兩個原因卻給了我們一些希望。一是越來越精細的古代漢語語音———現代漢語語音的起源———重構。我所以能進行這項研究，完全是因爲在這個領域的學者的努力。二是基於語言學的一般原則：構成人類語言基礎的認知過程在歷史發展中是保持不變的。在這篇論文中，我認爲在古代漢語詞彙的特定範疇中是普遍存在語音象徵詞（sound symbolic）的：完全相同的重複，用現代漢語表達是“疊音詞”（duplicated-syllable words）。但這個説法只有建立在對現代語言聲義關係的平行觀察中才有意義。這種還有生命力的、能啟發讀者對古代漢語詩歌進行更精細地鑒賞的語音象徵就在我們身邊———包括現在還在使用的古代漢語詞彙。

論早期五言詩的節奏演變與美學示範, Zhenting Luo

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

以“上二下三”作爲五言詩的典型節奏，是自明清以來的共識。但所謂“下三”結構並非不可再分的最小意義單位，五言詩據其内部變數仍可進一步細分爲：“二一二”式、“二二一”式及不可再分的“二三”式。它們在五言詩發展的各個階段互有消長，大致經歷了從“二一二”主導，轉向廣義的“二三”結構，最後“二二一”式興起，與早期的“二一二”間錯相用，成爲此後五言詩的主導節奏。這條五言詩的節奏演變軌迹表明：一方面，來自《詩經》、楚辭的較爲古拙的“二一二”式，是五言詩興起的重要來源，同時也是漢魏五言古詩獨特藝術風貌的重要組成部分；另一方面，五言詩在自身的發展過程中，也逐漸尋找到一種更具新變意味的構句方式，從而促使齊梁“二、五異聲”的聲律法則，向近體詩“二、四異聲”的節奏轉變。