Study Of Clan And Literature Of The Tang Dynasty

The main purpose of the present study is to conduct a structural investigation of the relationship between clan and literature of the Tang Dynasty adopting element researching methodology in order to explore the intrinsic motivation of their relationship, thus revealing the basic features of the evolution of clan literature in Tang Dynasty.The present paper argues that Tang Dynasty is not only an era with rigid family status system, but also the age when some powerful family clans decline. The formation of family status requires some basic elements, such as noble and famous family name, prefecture locations, official career, marriage, family code of conduct, family education and etc. The study of the inherent relationship between clan and literature lies in the investigation about relationship of the elements and literature. This is the basic connotation of element research methodology emphasized in the present research. With the powerful family clans gradually declined, the influence conducted by the elements to family literature had gradually weakened, while the imperial examination and other emerging factors are gradually enhancing. Overall, the historical process of clan literature evolution in Tang Dynasty consists with the trend of cultural transformation between Tang and Song Dynasty.The present article consists of five chapters. The first chapter offers an introduction of the Tang clans and Literature. The main purpose is to study external causes of the occurrence, development and evolution of clan literature in Tang Dynasty. It introduces the relationship between external factors, such as region, imperial examination, migration, politics and etc., and the evolution of clan literature development, which provide a macro background for internal element research.Chapter Two contributes to genealogy and Literature. Genealogy in Tang Dynasty took the form that focused on the earliest ancestor and the first wife’s first son. This chapter mainly researches on the relationship between literature and two basic elements of the genealogy, namely, genealogy surnames and prefecture locations, which are basic requirements of family status. By case study of "last name record" the present study investigates how the surnames in the genealogy catalyze prime clan literature of Tang Dynasty and how they guide and activate the literary spirit. It explores the relationship between prefecture locations and literature in addition to the support role played by family education in the formation of prefecture location.·Chapter Three studies family code of conduct and literature. It starts to investigate the function of family code of conduct and its impact on literature. Secondly, it probes the manifestation of family code of conduct in literature through four themes, namely, ancestor virtues, admonition, feelings of intimacy between the brothers, and womanly virtues. On this basis, it focuses on analyzing the establishment of the literary thought“consistency in literature and action”in prime Tang Dynasty under the influence of family code of conduct, which reveals the family code of upholding literature has become a popular fashion culture in society after prime and middle Tang Dynasty.Chapter Four relates to outstanding children and literature. This chapter focuses on the human factor role in clan literature construction process. Excellent children are the core strength of clan status construction and main bearer of family education, as a consequence, they were attached much importance to in Han and Tang Dynasty. This chapter starts to analyze the education of outstanding children in the family of Tang Dynasty and the important role played by outstanding children in family education inheritance. Second, from a macro perspective, it reveals how social fashion, such as upholding fame, upholding competent people and upholding literature, leads the education of outstanding children and its manifestation in literature. Finally, it focuses to analyze the central role of outstanding children in clan literary activities through three aspects, namely, clan literary compilation, family party with literary factors and family responsorial.Chapter Five is about marriage and literature. This chapter mainly explores the relationship of“family-in-law choices”and literature in an era when family status was crucial. The concept of marriage is one of the most decisive factors in“family-in-law choices”; therefore the present paper studies two mainstream concepts of marriage and the manifestation in literary works. Second, it studies the phenomena that people become relatives by marriage and the relationship between family literature and epoch literature. Finally, it analyzes the influence of marriage in the role of family literary construction through three aspects, namely, female, mothering education, wife’s home or husband’s home education.The last part summarizes four basic characteristics in the evolution of the Tang family literature from a macroscopic perspective. Finally, there are two appendices, which provide textual research of genealogy and important literary prefecture location in Tang Dynasty.