A study of Qiangcun's ci poetry

This is a study of Zhu Zumou, who achieved literary success as an outstanding writer of ci, verse characterized by lines of unequal length. Acclaimed as one of the four great ci poets of the late Qing period, Zhu Zumou (also known as Zhu Qiangcun) had a major influence on the writing of ci at the end of the Qing dynasty and in the early years of the Republic of China.; This thesis has seven chapters. The first chapter sets out the genesis, objectives and methodology of this study.; Chapter Two provides a brief account of the life of Zhu Zumou and his interactions with other literary figures. In particular, this chapter draws attention to the friendships Zhu Zumou formed, at different stages of his literary career, with the other three great ci poets of his time---Wang Pengyun, Zheng Wenzhuo and Kuang Zhouyi. This chapter argues that these friendships had a positive influence on the writing styles of these four great ci poets. Moreover, through close textual analysis, Chapter Three shows that the four great ci poets of the late Qing period were no inheritors of the literary legacy of the Changzhou school of ci poetry.; Through an examination of a large amount of textual evidence, Chapter Four shows that the works of Wu Wenying of the Song dynasty provided the most important literary model for Zhu Qiangcun's Ci Poetry. This chapter also points to other past masters---including Du Fu, Su Shi and Jiang Kui---that had a major influence on Zhu Zumou. As for the periodization of Zhu Zumou's ci poetry, this chapter suggests that the ci poems contained in Zhu Qiangcun's Ci Poetry should best be categorized according to the early, middle and late phase of Zhu Zumou's literary career. Moreover, this chapter argues against the claim that Zhu Zumou's efforts to emulate Su Shi started in the late phase of his literary career.; Chapter Five discusses in detail the themes and subject matter of Zhu Qiangcun's Ci Poetry, paying particular attention to poems that deal with friendship, nostalgia, landscape and the seasons, as well as poems written for a special occasion or in reply to other poems.; Chapter Six discusses the categorization and artistic techniques of Zhu Zumou's ci poems that draw on pre-existing narratives as source materials. This chapter also examines the particular problems that these poems present to readers.; Chapter Seven contains the conclusion of this study. The essay 'Notes and Commentary on Zhu Qiangcun's Ci Poetry', written in an annalistic style, is attached at the end of this thesis for reference.