On The Xiao Gang's Gong-Ti Poetry

Although it has the defect of the frivolous sentiment and the gorgeous style which grows bewitching in Xiao Gang's Gong-Ti poetry, it has merit of revealing the author's spirit and exposing the secrets in human nature, which mirrors the characteristics of the enhancing of the human nature and the thickening of the human feelings. It is the product of the person's awakening and the literature's consciousness since the South and North Dynasty of Wei-Jin. Based on the textual study, the present thesis tries hard to study Xiao Gang's Gong-Ti poetry comprehensively and expatiate on the value of the poetry concerned in relating to Xiao's aesthetic theories on Gong-Ti poetry, the longitudinal historical description of female images in the pre-Gong-Ti poetry and the horizontal comparison on the features in Gong-Ti poetry with the later literary works.The present thesis comprises of five parts. Describing Xiao's experiences in his life systematically, the first part explains the process of his literary creations. The second discusses the aesthetic features and draws the outline of the aesthetic style in Xiao's works from three perspectives of its aesthetic perception: exquisiteness and neatness, softness and grace, brightness and gorgeousness. From the theories of the nature of literature and the reformation in literary creations, the third part probes into the development of his aesthetic theories on Gong-Ti poetry. Then the fourth part reveals the artistic foundation of the Gong-Ti's poetry after tracing the female images back into Book of Poetry, Song Yu' Ci-Fu, Cao Zhi's Shi-Fu and Shen Yue's poetry. The artistic value of Gong-Ti poetry is exposed in influence and acceptance by comparing the Gong-Ti' poetry and the Hua Jian-Ci in the fifth part.In brief, the creativity of Xiao Gang's Gong-Ti Poetry lies in the fact that it takes the female comprehensively and consciously as the aesthetic object, describes the return to humanity from Nature, and brings the vitality to the literary practices and theory. As a result, Xiao Gang's Gong-Ti poetry in negative reproach should be affirmed critically.