The Song Dynasty Collections Of Songci Of Preface And Postscipt Research

Generally speaking, preface and postscript sets of Songci -- the Chinese poems in the Song Dynasty, consisted of preface and postscript of Chinese prose theory and relevant works as well as some of poems other than that of selected works, collections and anthologies by narrow definition.On the basis of precedent researchers'collecting and sorting works about preface and postscript sets of Songci, some amendments and complements are done here to improve and summarize all related works that there are 176 prefaces and postscripts of Songci, including 39 pieces of the North Song Dynasty, 131 pieces of the Southern Song Dynasty and 6 pieces of post phase Song dynasty citizens. In these works, 21 pieces are poems'preface and postscripts. Some discussions are made in this paper by dividing the process of preface and postscript sets of Songci into 6 phases. By summarizing of each phase, a conclusion was given that preface and postscript of Songci in the Southern Song Dynasty are 3 times more than that of North Song Dynasty; it is also known that prefaces and postscripts of Songci in North Song Dynasty are mainly presented by groups of people led by Su Shi. The situation had been improved in Southern Song Dynasty that the distribution of prefaces and postscripts are balances with no blank areas in decades, yet the distribution in Song Gaozong Shaoxing years, Song Xiaozong Qiandao and Chunxi years, Song Guangzong Shaoxi years, Song Ningzong Jiading years and Song Lizong Chunyou years are relatively denser than other phases. By studying the characteristic of the era and culture conditions in the above climax distribution phases, the main factor of Songci's prosper are political background and ethos influence.The abundant contents of Songci's preface and postscript sets are mainly shown as literature reference and literary criticism. As for the literature reference, it means to collect and summarize the relevant version information about the preface and postscript sets. And for the aspect of literary criticism, it is mainly about the following three aspects: first, judging and a person by studying his time; second, opinions about the origin and future of Songci; third, aesthetic standards of Songci. Therefore, a conclusion has been made that people of the Song Dynasty held the idea that Songci originated in the Tang Dynasty, being the alternate version of Yuefu poems, and it would be vanished in the future as a trend by the reason of authors'intention as well as the neo-Confucianism background. The aesthetic standards of Songci are nothing less than those three aspects: for one thing, inner appealing of Wan (i.e. graceful and restrained); for another, the wild, bold and fresh poem style; thirdly, natural way and style of creation.There are two hot topics in Songci's preface and postscript sets: first, the relation between previous poems and poems of the Song Dynasty; second, debate about whether a Songci is elegant or vulgar. However, whether it be the"Considering poems as Songci"or"Six connotation"in the Southern Song Dynasty or deep addiction towards Ya (i.e. elegance), it is clear that Songci has been completed the process from origination and becoming scholars'specific tool of expressing their feelings, from a kind of comprehensive literary art to degraded and popular literature. Especially in the Southern Song Dynasty, that was an irreversible fact.