| Life is not only the central topic discussed by philosophers,but also the object in literary works.Focusing on the fus in Western Han Dynasty,this paper mainly discusses the life topic in it.It is believed that Western Han was such an era when both Confucianism and Taoism advanced side by side,immortal religions were extremely popular,and tyrannicalness was intensified,even was full of doom conscience and everlasting illusions,in which the composers in Western Han were concerned about their living quality,and more about their unavoidable shout lives.Facing the paradoxical choice between life and death,they were confused,perplexed and helpless.Thus,in virtue of creating cis and fus,the composers expressed and let out of their anxiety about life,and also expressed their views and values toward life at the right time,which explains why we choose this topic.This thesis falls into eight chapters:Chapter 1:Introduction.At the beginning,this chapter distinguishes two keywords "fus in Han Dynasty" and "life subject".Then,it reviews the history of studying the subject of fus in Western Han Dynasty and briefly explains the train of thought and research methods adopted in this thesis.It is believed in this chapter that composers before 20th century paid attention to the parable and lyricism in fus in Han Dynasty,having touched the thematic study,but with relatively conspicuous tendency to political functionalism.Since the 20th century,many researchers have touched the study on the life subject in the fus in Westem Han Dynasty,which paves the academic foundation for the research of this thesis.With the coming of the new century,more and more researchers discuss the life subject of ancient composers and their works,which also builds favorable academic atmosphere.However,people's concern about the life subject in Han Dynasty is far from enough,which leaves an academic vacancy for this study.Chapter 2:Views and values toward life of composers in Western Han Dynasty.This chapter begins with dating back the life origins from which the life views and values of composers in Western Han Dynasty were formed,among which the early Qing Confucianism concerning about reality,the early Qing Taoism concerning about self-lifecycle and the early Qing immortal religions preaching seeking immortality and everlasting are believed to be the main ones.From the composers' expectation and recollection of their teachers and friends who had become monarchs,their personal performance of the "Three Immortalities" in life,their sufferings during official career, their life expectation as well as national conscience,this dissertation analyses the realistic causes and its representative features of forming the composers' life views and values. Hence,what is concluded is that there are time differences between the life views and values of composers in Western Han Dynasty,which have been clearly reflected in the life subject in fus in Western Han Dynasty.Chapter 3:Subject of cherishing life and wandering immortals in the fus in Western Han Dynasty.It is believed in this chapter that the Huang Taoism in Western Han Dynasty is the idealistic foundation and the increase of death in Western Han Era is the realistic base for forming those subjects.In particular,the fact that a great number of people were dead because of the war between Chinese and Hun Nationality and the severe laws and statutes in Western Hart Dynasty became the life pressure on the composers in Western Han Dynasty.Therefore,they fancied obtaining freedom both in body and spirit by the way of wandering immortals.And of course,their instinctive dreams of everlasting and escaping death form the psychological causes for this subject.Chapter 4:Subject of sentiment on individual life in fus in Western Han Dynasty.In this chapter,the writer believes that the psychological driving force for the flourishing of fus in Western Han Dynasty is the anxiety over life of the composers in Western Han Dynasty,who suffered from imposed tyrannical pressure and enjoyed unrestrained recollection for the scholars in Warring states(476-221 BC),which together promoted the development and flourishing of cis and fus in Western Han Dynasty.To meet the demands of the rulers they "created emotion for writing" and also "created writings for emotion" to satisfy their own needs to express and let out of emotion.Tyrannical ruling and the likes and dislikes of the rulers are the exterior driving force for their creating;while their anxiety and plaintiveness caused by feelings of political pressure is the inner driving force. From the analysis of sentiment on life,exclamation over ephemeral life and waiting for survival,in this chapter the author thinks that the feelings of political pressure and the pressure from short life explain the reasons for forming the subject of sentiment on individual life in fus in Western Han Dynasty.Chapter 5:Introduction of the theme of Western Han fus and analyses of their political and cultural background.It offers the reasons of the composers' concern about their countries and people:the combination of their concern about the world,human beings, their lords,their countries and their people;the influence of then situation.And in this chapter "fu on beauty" and "sarcastic expostulation" are under a new discussion as the embodiment of composers' ideality and pursuit in their whole lives.So the theme of fus should be life rather than politics.Chapter 6:Analyses of the composers' living conditions,their concern about their countries and people and their life pursuit in the mid-late Western Han.The composers' concern about scholar-officials is on the basis of their personal situation and their political pressure caused by feudal dictatorship.And their life pursuit rises to the level between practicality and morals which has something with their double personality:the combination of "ego" and "other ego".Chapter 7:Literary background and the authenticity of Western Han fus on praising substances.The fus on vassal state officials,dukes or princes under an emperor and imperial officials which are all in the disguise of talking about substances are discussed in this chapter.And the author believes the Fu on Divine Crow is aimed at criticizing the phoniness of the core of moral value system "humanity" and expressing the composer's profound understanding and sobriety of life tragedies.Chapter 8:Cause of Western Han fus' life theme on the basis of a discussion of the composers' personality."Ego" and "other ego" which are incompatible but sometimes compatible respectively pay attention to self and society.And the composers of Western Han fus seem to pay more attention to "ego" and creating fus is literators' way to solve conflict.From the "ego" value pursuit,the composers have both strong individual practical pursuit and liegeman consciousness caused by their failure to achieve "ego" value.With the establishment of united feudal dictatorship of Western Han the composers' "other ego" consciousness is getting stronger to meet the political and composers' status requirements. This chapter is the conclusion which offers the cause for the formation of fus' life theme on the basis of the discussion of literators' role conflict and the comparison between "virtuous officials" and "adulatory officials" which are respectively described as the representatives of "ego" and "other ego". |
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