Confucianism In The South Dvnastv And Its Association With Literature

Confucianism in the South Dynasty enjoyed,on the whole,an upsurge in popularity.Confucian scholars came out of reclusion to participate in politics.Confucian scholarship was closely related to politics.Whether it was related to education or family background,both aspects showed significant development at the time.From the latter part of the reign of the Liu-Song emperor,up until the end of the Qi dynasty and the latter part of the Liang dynasty and including the end of the Chen dynasty,even though xuanxue(studies of the abstruse)enjoyed a brief spell of popularity but in comparison with the emphasis placed on Confucianism,it was already in decline.Even though political leaders at the end of the period paid little attention to the establishment of Confucianism,but amongst the local populace,Confucianism did not decrease in popularity.The traditions of Confucianism established a firm foundation amongst the populace.In all,Confucianism became the central ideology of the South Dynasty period.In the areas such as politics,art,culture and ideology,it exerted a subtle and enduring influence.The literature of the South dynasty developed independently and flourished at a time when an ideology that centered around Confucian thought freely developed.In this way,the association between literature and Confucianism in the South dynasty is worth researching.This thesis is made up of three parts,an introduction that analyses the research and general direction of studies on this topic.It will first describe how scholars approach research into the link between Confucianism and literature,secondly I will discuss how orthodox thought is represented in the politics and Confucianism of the South dynasty.Although xuanxue and Buddhism also influenced the ideology of this time,Confucianism formed the foundation of these ideologies.At this time,interest in xuanxue had begun to decline and was simply a remnant of the Wei-Jin dynasty,it did not form a dominant part of arguments at the time.Buddhism had been introduced to China before this time.It had been absorbed by the elite.Confucianism that showed a Buddhist influence was reflected in the vitality of Confucianism at this time.In all,the influence of Confucianism at this time was far-reaching.With Confucianism forming the background to this period,Confucianism underwent a period of flourishing development,a development which was expressed through the writing produced in this period,scholarship enjoyed great prestige as there was significant interest expressed in the Confucian classics.The ruling families began to place great emphasis on Confucian learning.The literary pieces produced at this time showed the influence of Confucian thought as well as the scholar's views of the role of literature.The literary thought of this time displayed a distinctly Confucian flavour.In Liu Xie's "The Literary Heart and the Carving of Dragons," it can be seen that Confucian scholarship was held in the highest esteem and it was through significant works of Confucian scholarship that the association between literary works and Confucianism reached a high point of literary development.The literary works of the South dynasty were written in an ornate style,but there was also an additional development in terms of the traditional understanding of Confucianism in that the understanding of Confucianism at this time tended to be increasingly orthodox.Many members of the literati held tightly to Confucian ideas in that they showed restraint and rebellion;at this time different schools of literary thought engaged in rigorous debate and argument regarding the essence of orthodox thought so,in this area,there was much development.This period was the forerunner to the close association between literature and philosophy and was expressed by the way of the Confucian influence in literature.The first part of this thesis will be divided into four parts according to the chronological order of dynasties.I will mainly discuss the changes and developments that took place in literature.I will explore the political background of the South dynasty and how this reflected the rise and fall of Confucianism and,in this way,explore how Confucianism influenced this period.I will explore the relationship between the ideology of intellectuals and how this influenced the creativity they expressed in literary works as well as how the overall tone of the period contributed to the close link between the literature and Confucianism at this time.From the point of view of the merging of the three dominant belief systems of this time,I will analyze how Confucianism and Buddhism merged and influenced each other.In the second part of this thesis,I will discuss the literary works of representative writers,selecting the representative works of this period,such as the works of Yan Yanzhi,Xie Lingyun,Wang Jian,Xie Tiao,the four Xiao's and Xu Ling in order to ascertain the association between Confucianism and the creativity in their works.Lastly,I will explore the relationship between literary criticism and Confucian ideology by making reference to "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons."It is my opinion that Confucianism greatly contributed to the flourishing literary scene in the South dynasty period.The popularity of Confucianism is strikingly apparent in the literature of this period.The value of literature came to be recognized during this period.At the same time,Confucianism was reconstructed and reconfigured through literature.The idea that poetry could"help you to find like-minded friends" developed and flourished in the vibrant literati environment of the Six dynasties;a particular value system and mindset came to be associated with the character and creativity of a writer who had been molded by Confucian thought.In terms of their elegant demeanor,the pursuit of an urbane literary style,their affirmation of the value of literature,the elevation of the writer in the eyes of society,the literati contributed to the progressive development of literature.The literature at this time,in terms of its ornate language was not particularly conducive to the development of Confucianism at this time,and even contributed to a kind of disdain for Confucianism and produced literature that was perceived as distant from reality and as being reminiscent of the xuanxue style.In this way,the emotions expressed by the literati towards Confucianism were at times,complicated and the influence that Confucian had on these writers,extremely subtle.In conclusion,the connection between Confucianism and literature at this time is apparent as an undercurrent in the writings of this period.By way of historical documents and annotations of Confucian works,the examining of Daoist philosophies and examining how this ideology was expressed in literature,the connection between Confucianism and literature becomes all the more complex.Through the study of the connection between Confucianism and literature in the South dynasty,it can be seen that literature was not divorced from the influence of Confucianism and its influence can be seen in artistic and literary spheres at the time.With the unification of the Sui and Tang dynasties,Confucianism came to be even more emphasized and the link between Confucianism and literature became even more pronounced.The link between Confucianism and literature became even more apparent and reached a high point in later periods,reflecting the value of traditional Chinese thought to Chinese culture.