A Study Of Li Gang And His Poems And Ci's Creation

This dissertation applies traditional literary theoretical critical method to studies of Li Gang's poems and ci (rhymed verse, a type of classical Chinese poetry). To be well-taken, the first half part of the dissertation stresses Li Gang's life and his ideology and his literary creation theories. Li Gang was an important statesman, strategist, thinker and a patriotic scholar as well during Southern and Northern Song Dynasty. Li Gang's literary thoughts basically complied with the standard of Confucian literary criticism, namely, he attached importance to moral practice, emphasized social content and educational function of literature. Therefore he inherited the theory that "the core of an article should be its spirit", further expounded the viewpoints such as "an article is valued for its serviceability", "words are the voice of the mind; the style is the man". The last half part of the dissertation elaborates Li Gang's poem and ci's creation. The most flourishing part in Li Gang's literary creation is his poems, which are various in forms and rich in content. His deep love for his motherland and his affection for his relatives and friends are conveyed between the lines. Of course, the intense patriotic emotions are outstanding in Li Gang's poems. At that time, two emperors were captured, the country was disintegrated and people were plunged into misery and suffering. Li Gang's heart was torn with anxiety. He wanted to save the situation, restore Central Plains, rescue people from an abyss of misery, and regenerate the ideal situation of "Zhongzhou Flourishing Age". However, he repeatedly met with obstruction and it was difficult for him torealize his great aspiration. He could only project his loyalty and his concern about his country and his people into his poems. The style of Li Gang's ci is bold and uninhibited. He wrote at his free will. In Chinese ci history, Li Gang, with his special political status, deep love for his motherland and his bold and unconstrained style of his ci, especially his ci narrating his feelings about history, profoundly influenced the early patriotic ci school of the early Southern Song Dynasty not only in ideological content but also in artistic style.