Research On The Standardization Of Poetry And Literature Written In Classical Chinese During The Middle Ages

The following thesis will discuss the Japanese literature written in Classical Chinese during Heian Period,in the perspective of the standardization of poetry.The thesis is comprised of two sections:Analysis and Documents.The literary treatises Bunkyo Hifuron and Bunbitsuganshinsyo,compiled by Kukai,a Japanese monk who studied abroad in China,helped collected considerable amount of"shige" documents of the Tang dynasty,becoming the main material in studying the Tang poetics.Since then,poetry guidebooks in similar forms such as Sakubundaitai,Otakufuketsusyo,Bunbitsumondosyo came out.These documents constructed the basic materials of medieval Japanese literary critique,therefore inquire their roles in forming the Classical Chinese literature.Those that had been transcribed by aristocrats,officials and monks,gained in their volumes,were handed down with diverse versions,reflecting various points of view from different scholars."Etsucyoshi" and "gyofushi" composed by writers like Saga Emperor in Sakubundaitai,are the pieces composed with recreation and rediscovery all based on Chinese poetics.Different versions of Bunbitsumondosyo show the changes from transcript to carving copy,which also suggest the shift of cognition of the later acceptors toward the standardization of poetry.On the other hand,Japanese has their own rules for Waka in correspondence to the standard of poetry.Waka is adopted from poetry standard but abandoned it from the standpoint of practical composition.Yet it still contains ideas from Waka treatises,it is supposed to be revalued in the history of Waka.Assessment of Syoshishi based on "shige" standard had caused arguments.The issue during the third year of Chotoku(997)was "Fengyao",by the second year of Chokyu(1041),it was about "Hexi".What can be drawn from these two important debates is the acceptance of the standardization of poetry by the Japanese literati,and gains better understanding of the forming of Classical Chinese literature.Japanese assigned their best scholars to poetically communicate with the envoys from Bohai,and this plays as stimuli for the standardization of Japanese Classical Chinese Literature through the medieval times.With the formation of literature standard,Syoshikai(respecting the elder)style of Bai Juyi standard influenced Japanese Classical Chinese Literature and Waka,accomplished the shift from "learn to write" to "imitate the apotheosis of literature".The part Documents presents documents of three kinds of Japanese "shige"and a type of Waka treatises,and recommends reading along with the Analysis part.