The Acceptance Of Ruan Ji’s Poems In Early And Mid-Qing Dynasty

Ruan Ji’s poetry had been highly esteemed by the Ming dynasty revivalists for its profound and natural style.During the early and mid-Qing Dynasty,the political situation,academic atmosphere,and poetic trends further facilitated the acceptance of Ruan Ji’s poetry among literati,ultimately contributing to the canonization of Ruan’s works.This period saw a significant number of scholars and annotators engaging with Ruan’s poetry,with the number of imitations of his "Yong Huai" poems far exceeding those in other eras,marking an essential phase of acceptance and canonization of Ruan Ji’s poetry.This thesis examines the reception of Ruan’s poetry in the early and mid-Qing Dynasty,analyzing the evolution of its acceptance and the relationship between different stages,while also delving into the underlying causes of this reception in light of the historical context and individual thought.In the early Qing Dynasty,poets experienced the dynastic change.As a result,they strongly empathized with Ruan Ji.Both loyalists and second-tier officials emulated Ruan’s poetry,with Xu Ye,Wang Fuzhi,and Gong Dingzi being the most representative.They expressed their sorrow for being lost in different times through their poems,yet their styles and sentiments differed—Xu Ye mimicked Ruan Ji’s obscure style,subtly conveying his resentment for the state of his country;Wang Fuzhi emulated Ruan Ji’s profound and euphemistic lyricism,expressing his determination to be at peace with his conscience;Gong Dingzi responded to Ruan Ji’s poetry in a regulated verse form,candidly expressing his sadness for being unrecognized.Through these works,the complex emotions of recluses,patriots,and second-tier officials in transitional times are revealed.In the realm of poetry interpretation,early Qing scholars generally appreciated the implicit and profound style of Ruan Ji’s "Yonghuai".They mostly followed the Ming Dynasty’s aesthetic-centered criticism and aimed to grasp the essence of the poems through an empathetic approach.Only He Zhaoquan focused on exploring the meaning of the poems,using the history of the Wei and Jin dynasties as a reference to interpret Ruan’s poetry and initiating the trend of Qing dynasty philological poetry criticism.Influenced by the revival of Han studies,the reception of Ruan’s poetry during the mid-Qing period was primarily characterized by textual research and philology.Scholars analyzed the moral principles of Ruan Ji’s poetry through historical evidence,presenting a scholarly orientation distinct from the earlier period.Shen Deqian noticed this trend and opposed the exclusive focus on textual research and philology in poetry criticism.While annotating Ruan’s poetry,he refrained from delving into historical events and emphasized the analysis of the moral content,reflecting the antiquarian thinking of the School of Elegance.However,he could not reverse the scholarly trend in Ruan’s poetry interpretation— numerous scholars used the plain study method to examine the seventeen Ruan’s poems in "Wen Xuan";Jiang Shiyao provided comprehensive annotations for the eighty-two five-character "Yong Huai" poems.Jiang’s effort in philological research was extensive and well-documented,though his analysis of moral principles was somewhat lacking,demonstrating the profound impact of Qian Jia Han studies on poetry interpretation.In addition,under the interplay of antiquarianism and philological trends,the scholars of the Tongcheng School also took notice of Ruan’s poetry.Among them,Yao Fan collated four of Ruan’s poems,correcting He Chuo’s errors in textual research;Liu Dakui not only admired Ruan’s poetry but also emulated its style,expressing his sorrowful fate.The acceptance of Ruan’s poetry during the early and middle Qing Dynasty,amid such developments and transformations,laid a solid foundation for the establishment of Ruan Ji’s poetic status in the late Qing period.