The Warring States "Poetry" Study

Based on the history of culture, academic, intellectual in Warring States period and the documents including the traditional ones and those newly unearthed, a systemetic and comprehensive study on poetics is done through different angles such as the position, regional charactaristics, poetic thoughts and the transmission of poetics.This dessertation including four chapters:1. The political and academic position of "The Book of Songs" in Warring States period is disccussed from three aspects inclduding the application of govenors, the attitude of Non Confucian scholars and development condition. In this period,"The Book of Songs" lost its official position for the first time and was questioned and critiqued by many schorlars. However, the poetics did not come down and developed with the contribution of so many researchers such as Zengzi, Zisi, Mengzi, Xunzi etc. An important book,"The poetics of Confucius", was writen which meaned the great development of poetics in Warring States period.2. The transmission and regional charactaristics of the poetics in the Warring States period is discussed and divided as four main region including Lu, Qi, Wei, Chu. The poetics of Lu developed with Confucianism thought. The poetics of Qi exchanged and infitrated with other schools. Because of the influence of legality and ancient study and the effort of Wei Wenhou and Zi Xia, the poetics of Jin was explained with history and infitrated with legality. The poetics of Chu paid attention to lyric, individual and aesthetic. The poetics and confucionism in the Warring States period had obvious regional characteristics, which is unique in the history of poetics.3. Because of the devision of confucionism, defferent group of confucionism made more systemly and more deeply study on poetics during the Warring Stetes period, which led to different interpretation and embodiment. The first group is represented by Zenzi and Zisi who interpreted poetics by human nature. The other group is represented by Menzi and Xunzi who interpreted poetics with politics and moralization.4. The transmission of poetics in Warring States period is disccussed. First the transmission of poetics in this period is investigated by unearthed literature. The next disccussion is about "Filial Piety" and "The Book of Songs". The last question is about the influence of Burning Books on the development of poetics.