| Yongwu fu has been largely ignored by scholars of Chinese literature. In this project, I seek to refocus attention on yongwu fu, in particular Fu Xuan's yongwu fu. I will formulate a detailed explanation of this sub-genre, and in the process provide annotated translations of all of Fu Xuan's yongwu fu.; Chapter One outlines the historical evolution of yongwu fu, delineating its history before and immediately after Fu Xuan. Chapters Two, Three, and Four offer close textual study of Fu Xuan's thirty-nine pieces in two categories: natural and man-made objects. Chapter Five focuses on yongwu fu's formal features and recurring themes. Chapter Six explains key aesthetic features. Chapter Seven describes Fu Xuan's understanding of genres, his career as scholar-official, and his thoughts as constituted by elements of Ruism and Daoism.; As a sub-genre of fu, using prose-like sentence patterns and a tripartite structure, yongwu fu describe tangible and manageable objects in abundant detail and possess an expressive function eulogistic in nature. Structural characteristics of yongwu fu vary, yet commonalities abound and are the norm. The most salient structural characteristic is its tripartite structure.; Yongwu fu distinguish themselves both in their formal thematic features and aesthetic features. On a micro-level, yongwu fu describe the physical beauty and practicality of objects; on a macro-level, yongwu fu idealize natural harmony and dynamic, organic communities.; Fu Xuan greatly contributed to yongwu fu's development, and many of his styles and structures influenced and are seen in others' yongwu fu. Before Fu Xuan, stylistic and structural features were strewn from piece to piece, or simply not yet conventionalized. Fu Xuan's foremost defining contributions include his use of tripartite structure, sentence patterns and rhyme schemes, allegory, topic selection, praise of objects' worth, harmonious environment, and practicality.; Although most scholars argue that descriptive yongwu fu do not posses serious meaning, Fu Xuan conveys ideas beyond the descriptive composition itself. His use of personification, prefaces, allusions, and symbolic images, for instance, remodeled variations of contemporaneous styles. His use of obvious, commonplace outward features to express profound ideas is truly masterful, and his work and influence deserve further study. |
