A Study Of The Poetics Of Fujian In The Song Dynasty

Before Song Dynasty, the culture development of Fujian area was in the state of germination and primal preparation, so was the poetics at that time. However, the poetics of Fujian area flourished in full swing with its own geographical characteristics since Yuan and Ming dynasties. Therefore,the poetics research has been a hot spot in academia since then. Strangely enough, the poetics research in the Song Dynasty, which is of vital importance as the intermediate state, failed to take up a due part in the further development of poetics studies in Fujian. Research on the Tang Dynasty Poetics is such a case in point. Needless to say it is per se falling short of profound discoveries and vital exploration of its cultural significance. Before Song Dynasty, the area of Fujian has been considered to be a barren land, but in the Song Dynasties, especially the Southern Song Dynasty, the population, economic and cultural development of Fujian was unprecedented in its recent history, with the burgeoning number of the poets and essayists. The cultural center of Song Dynasty has changed from the north to the south then, and Fujian turned out to be one of the cultural centers. This phenomenon is unique on which my thesis argument is based. Thus this thesis mainly discusses the Tang Dynasty Poetics of Song Dynasty in Fujian area from the following six aspects.The first chapter of my thesis is the introduction part. The first section is about the present literary review. Section II discusses the significance and methods of this research. Section III analyzes the administrative divisions and cultural background of Fujian in Song Dynasty. Section IV pivots on the literature background and mainly focuses on the inspiration of reception the Five Dynasties renders Song Dynasty on Tang Dynasty Poetics in Fujian area.The second chapter investigating the reception of Tang poetry to Fujianese poets in poetry creation in Song Dynasty. The first section in it is the reception of Tang poetry to Fujianese poets in poetry creation in Song Dynasty. Section II is about the using of popular Tang poems and pedantic Song poems in poetry writing of those Neo-Confucians in Fujian area. During the Northern Song Dynasty to the period between the Southern and the Northern Song Dynasties, neither a consciousness of independence nor a clear distinction from popular Tang poems and pedantic Song poems was showed both in poetic theories and in poetry creation. The formation of Song style and the variation of views in Tang poetry of the Neo-Confucians between the Southern and the Northern Song Dynasties. The intricate relationship between the Tang poetry and the Neo-Confucian school of "Knocking the Earth" in the middle and later Southern Song Dynasty.The third chapter is about the views of Tang Dynasty Poetics in the poetry and notes of Fujian area in Song Dynasty. Section I to IV is about the whole research study. The first section centers on the gradual ascending position of Du Fu in the process of reception of his notes and poems in Fujian poetry. The second section focuses on the pros and cons toward Li Bai and Du Fu. The third section mainly discusses the reception of these poets from Chen Zi’ang to others in the middle and later Tang Dynasty in Fujian area. The fourth section mainly summarizes the discussion of the poetry skills in Tang Dynasty in Fijian. The fifth section and the six sections are the typical case studies of some representative poetry, including Ts’ang-Lang’s Remarks on Poetry by Yan Yu and Shi Lin Guang Ji by Cai Zhengsun through which the high praise on late Tang poetry and what they share in common are acclaimed.The forth chapter is the documentary studies of the Tang poetry in Fujian area in Song Dynasty. The first section mainly elaborates on the inscription of anthologies of some poets in Tang Dynasty and the changes of poetics trend reflected in it. The second section discusses the philology of Tang poetry in Fujian in Song Dynasty which is gathered from specific anthological studies and its status in the entire philological history of Tang poetry in Song Dynasty. The third section is about the research on the poetry anthologies in Tang Dynasty by Fujian intellectuals in Song Dynasty. The forth section discusses the assessment of Li Bai’s poems made by Yan Yu according to his comments on The Poetry Collection of Li Bai. The fifth section is about the concept of Tang poetry poetics reflected in the encyclopedia by intellectuals in Fujian.The fifth chapter mainly studies calligraphy and inscriptions left in Fujian area in Song Dynasty which have protected the literature of Tang Dynasty. The first section is about the calligraphy and Tang poetry in Fujian area where many famous calligraphers emerged at that time of Song Dynasty. The second section is the preservation of the Tang Dynasty literature in Fujian area in Song Dynasty. Thanks to the fact that stone text is an important means of preserving literature texts, it is thus drawn special attention from the public in Song Dynasty.The sixth chapter mainly studies the private collection of Tang poetry and literature documentaries in Fujian in Song Dynasty. The first section briefly researches on the bibliophiles in Fujian of Song Dynasty, mainly introducing the private bibliophiles and collections of their books. Based on these facts, the second section summarizes the achievements of preserving Tang poetry and literature in Fujian in Song Dynasty.This thesis mainly tries to analyze the studies of Tang Dynasty Poetics from various angles in Song Dynasty Fujian area so as to pinpoint the cultural heritage of that new poetry creation with mighty historical importance. On one hand, it carries on the outstanding traits of previous traditional poetry, on the other; it passes on its everlasting impacts to the later dynasties such as Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty respectively. It is in this point, I would argue, lays the value of my thesis. As to the methods, this paper mainly adopts the combination of documentary studies and literary theories, accompanying by other research methodologies applied in geographical studies, cultural studies, historical and other interdisciplinary studies.