Wang Shizhen In His Later Years The Study Of Literary Thought,

Wang Shizhen's literary thoughts in his late years have never received enough attention. Yanzhou Shanren Xugao and its appendix, which mainly contain his late works, were printed with small quantity almost ten years after he died when his family was declining in economy. At the same time, Gong'an School emerged and criticized Seven Masters School severely. Thus, Wang Shizhen's late works spread not so widely, and the literary thoughts in his late years was concealed in the dust of history. The scholars of the Qing dynasty often had prejudice on the poets of the Ming dynasty, inherited anti-archaism and anti-imitation from the Ming excessively, and thus exaggerated the shortcomings of archaism and imitation of the Ming poets to some degree, with the result of ignorance of Wang Shizhen's literary thoughts in his late years. Recent scholars usually simplified the literature of the Ming dynasty to some history of struggle or correction, according to the opinions of the Qing scholars, and noticed Wang Shizhen's archaism and imitation, as the leader of Seven Masters School, while paying no attention to his transformation in his late years.In this study, 1 try to explain and recover the self-regretting case of Wang Shizhen late years, according to textual research on the editions of his late works, aiming to discover the transformation of literary thoughts in his late years, and present his late life comprehensively, according to discussion on religion, public relations, personality, mood, and thoughts, aiming to describe the general situation of his late literary thoughts.In his whole life, Wang Shizhen received the deepest influence from Li Panlong and Master Tanyang. Wang's relation with Li has come into sight of the scholars, while his relation with Master Tanyang didn't received enough attention to the present time, because of the ignorance of his late literary thoughts. Actually, Master Tanyang's thought of trinity of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism had deeply influence on the late Wang, and his mystical experience of obtaining enlightenment and becoming immortal attracted Wang. Through the influence of Master Tanyang, Wang turned to believe in Buddhism and Taoism, being free among Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, supported Zen thoughts on the relation between mind and Buddhist, and introduced Wang Yangming's ideology on mind into Zen. This fact is a correction on the traditional opinion on Wang as the representative of archaism.Wang Shizhen changed his attitude on literature in his late years, from the opinion regarding literature as grand woks on the dynasty to that as little skill, even feeling embarrassed when regarded as a bosom friend in literature. The focus of his literary writing consequently changed from national business and civilian disease to personal life. The function of literature changed from intervening society originally from the archaism advocated by Seven Master School to expressing oneself. In his late years, Wang Shizhen insisted on compromise, suitable speech, and naturalism, regarding ruleless as rule and variation as norm, in literary thoughts, while he esteemed amiable and natural style in literary writing. Because of the transformaton of his literary thoughts, writing themes, imitating objects, writing style and aesthetics, the archaism of Seven Masters School had changed intrinsically, in Wang Shizhen's late years. Afterwards, Gong'an School attacked from outside. Thus with the intrinsic and extrinsic elements, the archaic movement advocated by Seven Masters School came into termination, with the result of transition of the process of the Ming and Qing literature. The transformation in Wang's late literary thoughts inspired the idea of learning and esteeming the Song poetry, and became some kind of guidance for Gong'an School, in the meanwhile, stimulated the argument between the Tang and the Song, Wu (吴) and Chu (楚) .So, Wang Shizhen's transformation of literary thoughts in his late years had not only terminated the literary archaism, just like the popular opinion thought, but had more deeply significance.