Perspectives On Life And Death In Jing School Literature

This thesis reviews systematically the perspectives of Jing School literature in different times, analyzes the life philosophy and sense on death, i.e."harmonizing and differing"of Jing School authors in every times, interprets the reflection of this perspective in their works, and elaborate this perspective's cultural significance and esthetic implication in Jing School literature. Hence, this thesis will be generally dividend into two parts. The first is about metempsychosis: early Jing School's dhyana perspective on life and death; the second is observing life with death: idealized perspective on life and death of Jing School literature in later period.Due to the influence of dhyana perspective on life and death, early Jing School authors thought of paradoxically life and death, reality and transience, positive and negative attitude towards life, awed the whole time and observed the world indifferently. Middle-aged mentality made they feel that life resembles a dream and they diluted the fear to death with metempsychosis. Zhou Zuoren, Fei Ming, etc. sought inward peace in unrest, experienced the pleasure of life in miserable reality,"enjoyed a little of beauty and harmony in uncompleted real world"and shaped a unique esthetics on life and death,"seeking pleasure of pains". Their works'structure is free and loose, and the language tends to be concise, full of thoughts of meditation.The later stage Jing School authors put together the positive of the perspective on life and death of Confucianism and the carefreeness of Taoism, merging the sacrificing spirit of Christianity and sturdy ingredients of folk culture, carried out modern and integrated reform to the all factors, in pursuit of life state where material world and individual person are neglected, subjects and objects merge, individuals and groups combine. Thereby, idealized life philosophy and sense on death was formed. Shen Congwen, Zhu Guangqian, etc searched for delight, and sought harmony in conflicts. Obsession to being alive and being inevitable to die, being dogged to live and the outburst of death, pursuit ideal life and the growing of secular life, all contradiction ruin the beauty of peace and calm. Harmony and fair-sounding pastoral cannot cover the misery of reality, thus form a kind of Patetico esthetic implication with misery and delight mixed.In a word, if"contradictory"and"conflict"are key words in early Jing School literature,"seeking balance"and"exploring ideal"are the theme song of the Jing School authors in later period.