The Research Of Stylistic Criticism In Zhu Zi Of Dragon-Carving And The Literary Mind

Zhu Zi,a chapter in Dragon-Carving and the Literary Mind,studies the writings of Zhu Zi from the early days of the Zhou Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Liu Xie does an in-depth study on the writings of Zhu Zi from a stylistic perspective.He distinguishes the style of Zhu Zi from other styles,studies the origin and evolution of Zhu Zi style,analyzes the writings of Zhu Zi as a whole,and uncovers the essence of their rhetoric art.In Wei Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties,when there existed a wide variety of styles and therefore rising awareness of stylistic criticism,to discuss all kinds of articles from a stylistic perspective was quite popular at that time.So it is natural that Liu Xie criticizes the writings of Zhu Zi from the stylistic perspective.This thesis consists of five chapters.The first chapter is introduction.After summarizing and analyzing the definitions of “style” given by modern scholars,the author of this thesis clarifies that in this study,“style” is based on the writings as a whole,gives an overview of the current studies on the stylistic criticism in Zhu Zi,states the novelty value of this thesis and the research methods.The second chapter is about Liu Xie’s “worshipping classics” critique in Zhu Zi.The author of this thesis probes into Liu’s “worshipping classics” critique.It includes three aspects,namely,modelling on the Five Classics,elegance and the paradigm of the style.Liu analyzes the nature,characteristics and status of Zhu Zi style.He then points out that Zhu Zi is an elegant and orthodox style that “transmits the Dao and human ideals” and that it has exalted status.The third chapter is about Liu’s style-discriminating criticism.Liu’s style-discriminating criticism is carried out in two modes: style discrimination by “ability” and by “times”.Style-discriminating criticism by “ability” is based on the ability of writers.Since the abilities of the men of virtue are different from those of the sages,the style of Zhu Zi is therefore different from the style of the Five Classics.And Zhu Zi style is a style which can only be mastered by “those with talents far superior to the ordinary”.Style-discriminating criticism by “times” is based on different historical times.Liu clarifies that the Zhu Zi style before the Warring States is different from that in and after the Han Dynasty.Through the comparison of stylistic features in different times,Liu finds out that originality is a legitimate characteristic of Zhu Zi writings.The fourth chapter is about the criticism about the life consciousness in Zhu Zi.On the one hand,from the beginning of Zhu Zi style,Liu Xie has set the tone of how to govern the world.It is the writers’ great love of human life that cultivates words of serving the sovereignty and the country.On the other hand,Liu Xie connects the functional value of Zhu Zi with the life of the writers through their writings: the writers can gain a reputation far and wide,get rid of the limits of the human body,and achieve immortality.The fifth chapter is about the impacts of Zhu Zi on later criticism about the Zhu Zi writings.Guided by Liu Xie’s criticism on the unique style and features of Zhu Zi literature,the author of this thesis sorts out the various analyses and judgments about Zhu Zi writings,which are made by those in later generations who were affected by Liu Xie.