On Xuxi Ci Poetry

Liu Chen-weng is an important ci writer in late Song Dynasty and an adherent of the Dynasty after it collapsed. His book Xuxi Ci Poetry gathers a large number of ci poems with prominent artistic feat. This thesis intends to explore characteristics shown from Xuxi ci poetry's theme, emotive keynote and artistic style as well as their formation cause.The thesis takes discussion mainly from three aspects:1. Features of the theme in Xuxi ci. Repeatedly chanting the changeable seasons features largely in the theme.(1) Ci poems showing pathos on spring. Liu Chen-weng composes dozens of ci poems with the theme of showing sadness towards spring and autumn or similar emotions. Among the poems, those of sending off spring best characterize this theme.The leitmotiv of his ci poems showing pathos on spring lies in the subtle and common semantic reference, i.e., the symbolic meaning-missing the perished motherland.The reason for the formation of this feature: first, it is related with his objective of creation. Liu Chen-weng claims that his ci poetry are composed for evocation of motherland and expression of grief. Traditionally, evocation as a grand ceremony is held in spring. Second, with Lin'an the capital captured in spring of 1276, South Song Dynasty existed in name only. The accidental connection between Song Dynasty's collapse and spring forms the "pathos on spring" complex in Xuxi's subconscious, vented through composition of ci poems.(2) Ci on Lantern Festival. Liu Chen-weng altogether writes dozens of ci poems that either take Lantern Festival as subject matter or are related to it. The reason why Liu Chen-weng composes so many ci poems on Lantern Festival is that: first, the festival is not only a yearly celebration but also contains rich ceremonial and cultural implication. The atmosphere nearly symbolizes life-force of Song court. Then, the pomp of the festa is closely connected with Lin'an the capital, and a capital is often representative of motherland. So Xuxi's missing motherland often dwells on Lin'an, and coming of the festival would surely elicit his "Lin'an"complex.Xuxi composes many seasonal ci poems with a theme of missing former motherland, which also attributes to his historical responsibility of "gaining strength in the writing".2. Emotional characteristics. Emotional intensity features basically his ci, and the feeling of mourning and dismal constitutes the keynote. The intensity of his feeling, in light of the content, is expressed in his apparent conviction of being loyal to the former motherland, in his cherishing the memory of the captive monarchs in the north and maids of honor, and also through rhetorical devices. The keynote of mourning and dismal manifests in three aspects: first, he often chooses profound and impressive words to transfer emotion; second, the frequently used literary quotations often move one to tears; third, his diction demonstrates emotional trait of mourning and dismal.What fixes his ci as total expression of mourning and dismal mixed with unyielding spirit is his firmness, Confucianism identity, adherence to morale and justice, the special atmosphere of the era, and founded on all these elements, his piety to the former motherland and longing for her restoration. Hence, his ci develops a school of one's own among adherent writers of former Dynasty.3. The artistic features of Xuxi ci and its cause of formation. The artistic features are demonstrated from three aspects: first, he expresses mentality poignantly and fiercely; second, the language is sincere and straightforward without pretence; third, his composition of ci borrows much from classics and history and absorbs rules of writing poems and prose.The former these artistic features are based on two aspects: first, he has unusual personality of being just and upright, of frankly expressing his inner thought; then, fully manifested is his literary thought that literary works voice writers' discontentment and let out of their natural and uncontrollable feeling.To compose ci by rules of writing poe...