An Analysis Of Artistic Conception In Thomas Gray's Elegy

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray is regarded as one of the most beautiful poems for its polished language and profound contemplation in English Literature. It is also one of most frequently quoted poems. The theory of artistic conception holds important position in Chinese literary theory. It makes great contribution to the development of Chinese poetry. This thesis attempts to make an analysis of Elegy with the theory of artistic conception to obtain some new understanding. According to the theory used, the profound artistic conception of the poem Elegy will be analyzed explicitly from two aspects. The first is how to present the original artistic conception of the poet and the second is concerned with the artistic conception perceived by the readers.The frame structure of this thesis can be divided into three parts aside from Introduction and Conclusion. Introduction is about the explicit condition of the poet and the poem and a literature review on this lyric.The first chapter gives a particular expatiation of the theory of artistic conception in detail. Meanwhile, the summary of the theory which is to be used for analysis is presented. The particular theory is divided into two sections. The first is the original artistic conception existing in the poem waiting to be explored. It mainly contains the world of scenes, the world of emotion, the blending world of scenes and emotion and the world of principles. The four parts form the whole artistic conception which the poet wants to express. The second is the artistic conception perceived by the readers. Through the five senses of the readers while reading the poem, they try to grasp the original ideas of the poet. Meanwhile the interpretation and understanding of the readers are colored by their subjective emotion and experiences. There are three levels of artistic conception on the part of the readers when reading. The first is superficial artistic conception re-appearing in the mind of the readers which can be obtained by nearly all the readers. The second is the imaginary world perceived according to the implied meanings of the poem and the third is the world of sublimation which only few readers can approach.Chapter Two is an explicit analysis of the poem Elegy according to the theory. It is divided into four parts. The first is concerned with the calm, gloomy and vivid world of scene in Elegy which is just proper for the corresponding emotion expressed. In the second part, the world of emotion is analyzed. The emotion is genuine and tolerant. It follows the principles put forward by Wang Guowei: the emotion should be pleasant and refreshing. It is concealed and implied in the world of scene. The third part is mainly on the artistic atmosphere of the blending world of emotion and scene. It is not the simple piling of the former two. The scenes foil the emotion and the emotion is implied by the world of scenes. The world of scenes and world of emotion combine perfectly together to form superb artistic conception which is profound and suggestive. The final part explores the world of principles which is tolerant and impartial. It implies the ideal life mode of Gray. Meanwhile, it gives great inspirations to readers.The third chapter is about the artistic conception perceived by the readers through reading Elegy. The first level is the superficial artistic conception which re-appears in the mind of the readers. It includes the perception of the reader on rhymes, rhythms, images and scenes in Elegy. The superficial artistic conception is lively and beautiful. The second level is on the imaginary world implied in the poem. It contains three sections. The first is about the images beyond real images in the poem(象外之象). The second is the analysis on the world of scene beyond the real scene(景外之境). The third is concerned with the undermeaning beyond the literal meaning(文外之旨). The second level is the main part of artistic conception perceived by the readers. There is much room left for the imagination of readers in Elegy. It promotes active involvement of readers to explore the imaginary world created by Elegy. The final level is the world of sublimation. It is like Zen Buddhism awakening. Elegy is full of enlightenment of Gray from observing the nature and universe which highly inspires the imagination of readers. The world of sublimation in Elegy can be obtained only by few readers as for the higher demand for intellect and knowledge.From the former analysis of the three parts, it can be seen obviously that the relationship and ratio of the emotion and scene are the focus of the theory of artistic conception in the analysis of Elegy. The creating of artistic conception of Elegy depends on the combination of the two. The world of principles inspires the imagination of readers. Meanwhile, the power of infectivity of Elegy is emphasized to receive resonance from the readers as the lyric expresses the intent of mind of the poet which waits to be shared by confidants. The emotional and intellectual involvement of the readers is needed in obtaining the good artistic conception of Elegy. The artistic conception of Elegy is profound and provoking, and the exploration is endless.Generally, the analysis of the poem Elegy with the theory of artistic conception is different from the analysis with other theories because something new will certainly be found from the oriental angle. Through the analysis, the new realms of the poem Elegy are explored and some new inspirations are obtained. The understanding of the poem is enlarged and deepened.