The Study On Ming Yuan Shi Hua

Poetry anthology and ShiHua written by female poets occurred in Ming and Qing dynasties. The most representative one is the Ming Yuan Shi Hua by ShenShanbao during the period of Daoguang-Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty. In this study, I analyzed her poetic viewpoint and probed the significance of the literature via the investigation of Ming Yuan Shi Hua. They were demonstrated by the following three chapters:Chapter 1: Introduction of Ming Yuan Shi Hua, including the biobibliography of the author and the edition, content, embodied style, etc.Chapter 2: Discussion of the poetical viewpoint of Ming Yuan Shi Hua. The author's poetical viewpoint was analyzed according to the criteria of her selection and her comments on those selected poems. ShenShanbao belongs to the style of Natural Nimbus, but is different from the Natural Nimbus defined by Yuan Mei. She deemed that poem should come from the natural nimbus and express the real self-anima, but should not be limited in any certain style. She thought the poem, whatever the style is, can please both the eyes and the mind if it contains verve. In term of creative theory, she advocated the "self-sound of the natural", that is, the poem should be produced naturally. She objected to any artificial over-polish on a poem. She brought up the female tastes of "clear" and "fresh" and widely applied them to the experience of poem criticism. The author also made a point of encouraging junior poets. She took the female poem-creation as a whole and tried her best to improve the social status of female and female poems.Chapter 3: Summary of historical significance of ShiHua. This was demonstrated from three aspects, including literature history, sex consciousness and female virtuousness. ShiHua are primarily opuses to discuss the literature. They preserved large amount of historical evidence regarding the creation, traveling, singing and responsory by female poets and exchange with male poets in Qing Dynasty. They are also significant proof of the new trend of poem creation by the female poems. In these records, the awakening of female consciousness is clearly expressed. They recognized that they had been treated unfairly under the social discrimination to the female. Unfortunately, they had no power to change the situation, but implant their sadness to the poems. In addition, the female virtuousness was also highlighted in ShiHua. This study also analyzed the reasons why female virtuousness was drawn to attention in Qing Dynasty, which are economic constraints, criteria of social morality, and the official commendation to the female virtuousness. Partially affected by these factors, Shen Shanbao also advocated female virtuousness, but she extolled more on the talent of the female poets, which she took as more important than virtuousness.