The Study On The Relation Between Song Ci And Pavilions

For many reasons, literature and pavilions have built a close relationship from of old. Therefore, a large number of excellent literary works depicting pavilions have been produced in both poetry and prose. When it comes to Song Ci, the relationship between the two is even closer. And the reasons are twofold. On the one hand, pavilions and Song Ci both belong to the culture of leisure and entertainment; on the other hand, there is a correspondence between the traditional mode of expressing emotions by way of mounting high and the sentimental color of Song Ci itself. The above two reasons explain why there are many connections and similarities between Song Ci and pavilions. In view of the above understanding, the present dissertation attempts to demonstrate the close relationship between Song Ci and pavilions based on theoretical analysis and historical facts. Meanwhile, it also intends to examine the role pavilions have played in the creation of Song Ci and their influences exerted on its artistic style and theme. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, a German literary theorist of the enlightenment period, put special emphasis on"the combination of various beauties to produce an integrated effects"in his famous work Laocoon. Through the analysis of the close relationship between pavilions and Song Ci, the present dissertation further bears out that the beauty of literature is a comprehensive artistic one just as what Lessing has claimed.The first part of the dissertation is an empirical study of pavilions appearing in Song Ci. There are altogether more than 60 pavilions with concrete names which include about 20 Ting (kiosk), 12 Tai (platform), 18 Lou (storied building), and 8 Ge (cabinet). The author of the present dissertation goes all out to do the textual research on each pavilion which was documented in history. The textual research is mainly based on the prefaces to each literary piece and specific descriptions within. At the same time, the author of the dissertation also refers to local records of Song Dynasty and afterwards, historical materials, poetry collections, etc., to examine their locations, the construction time, the builder, the sight around them, the cultural roots, as well as their rise and fall in or prior to Song Dynasty. However, because of the limitation of space and documents, there is still room to be desired concerned the above-mentioned issues, some of which may not be covered in this dissertation. As the main purpose of the first part is to lay a solid foundation of literature for the second part as well as to demonstrate the close relationship between Song Ci and pavilions, an appendix of others pavilions which this research failures to find detailed information is also attached.The second part is the analytical part which mainly discusses the role and impact of pavilions on the creation of Song Ci. On the one hand, pavilions and literature have formed a close connection for a long time. Along with the literary practice and accumulations, pavilion has gradually become an image with specific emotional connotations and instilled into the Chinese literati's psychological structure of literary appreciation. So in this part, the author of the dissertation firstly probes into the aesthetic connotations and the creation of artistic conception of pavilions (in a broad sense) from the perspective of imagery with the aim to show the role and impact of pavilions on the artistic style and features of Song Ci. Then, the impact of pavilions on the theme or content of Song Ci is also discussed. Pavilions, the major medium or channels of expressing emotions for Ci writers in Song Dynasty, is sure to exercise important influences on the theme and content of Song Ci. Because of the differences in natural environment, sceneries, and histories, cultures, anecdotal stories, legends that each pavilion is connected with, the mentality of Ci writers will not be the same together with the differences in social environment and their own life stories. It is the above-mentioned differences that contribute to the richness and variety of the theme of Song Ci. Some famous pavilions with concrete names such as Jiankang Shangxin kiosk, Wujiang Chuihong kiosk, Zhengjiang Beigu kiosk, etc., all have their unique cultural connotations and are often endowed with a specific theme along with the repeated use by different people in the literary circle. So this part takes some famous pavilions that frequently appear in Song Ci as examples in order to demonstrate the relationship between pavilions and the theme of Song Ci, especially the impact of the former on the latter.