Research On Yang Wanli’s Letter

Yang Wanli was a famous litterateur in the Southern Song Dynasty,his letters totalled 482,are of great weight in his works,which account for 27 volumes of the 133-volume Chengzhai Collection.Yang wanli experienced Emperor Gaozong of Song Dynasty,Emperor Xiaozong of Song Dynasty,Emperor Guangzong of Song Dynasty,Emperor Ningzong of Song Dynasty four dynasties,witnessed many important historical events in the early and middle Southern Song Dynasty,the great victory of Caishi,the collapse of Fuli,the Party ban of Qingyuan,the northern expedition of Kaixi,etc.The writing time span of letters is huge,from the 25 th year of Shaoxing(1155)to the first year of Kaixi(1205)for 50 years has not been interrupted,and related to the complicated historical situation,which also shows the research value of letters.The introduction discusses the research significance of Yang Wanli’s letters,sorts out the research status of letters and Yang Wanli’s articles,and states the research methods of this paper.The first chapter is a general introduction to the creation of Yang Wanli’s letters.On the basis of combing the origin of letters before Song Dynasty and the new changes in Song Dynasty letters,this paper analyzes and discusses the creation background of Yang Wanli’s letters,four stages of creation,the main content and stage characteristics that change with personal circumstances,as well as the very literary creation characteristics.The second chapter is the discussion of Yang Wanli’s social intercourse in the letters.According to Yang Wanli contacts different objects,his letters can be divided into five categories: court officials,predecessors,relatives,close friends,and juniors.On this basis,we can further sort out and analyze the synchronic features of Yang Wanli’s letters facing different objects at the same time,and the diachronic features of different communication focuses in different periods.The third chapter is about the personal image presented in Yang Wanli’s letters.Through the complex change of mentality under the gap between ideal and reality,the presentation of literati spirit under the contradiction of knowing and doing,and the final identification and return of his Confucian identity reflected in Yang Wanli’s letters,we strive to explore Yang Wanli’s complex personal image and psychology deeply,in order to restore a three-dimensional and real image of Yang Wanli.In the face of complex external environment and greater pressure to survive,although Yang Wanli had a hesitation,but always maintains the Literati spirit of the tough,benevolent and virtuous,thus highlighting his great and resolute character.On this basis,this chapter further discusses the spiritual dilemma of the scholastic officials in the revival period of the Southern Song Dynasty who were limited by social responsibility and eager to seek the true self,as well as the way of self-regulation through the ideal of introversion.The fourth chapter discusses the thoughts and feelings reflected in Yang Wanli’s letters.Among them,there is the political thought that focus on the Confucian way of applying the world,including the internal affairs of the king,law and people and the defense-oriented foreign war strategy with emphasis on preparation.There is also the academic thought that rich in teachers and friends,but also rich in personal creativity,including the academic approach of cultivate one’s nature and practical style of study,in addition,Yang Wanli’s dedication to the Yi learning is also an important link that cannot be ignored.The last is the literary thought which with its own characteristics,and emphasizes both art and use function,including the view of the essence of literature which is both valuable and literary,the view of literary criticism that seriously corrects what is wrong with an article,the view of poetry creation that pursues the poetic criticism of plain style with new and changing methods,and the view of article creation that highlights Confucian moral principles with carved methods.The fifth chapter is a discussion of the writing characteristics of Yang Wanli’s letters.From the perspective of functional form and artistic features,Yang Wanli’s letters can be divided into three types of literary style: "Qi Wen",the literary form for communicative purposes,which has the characteristics of short system and gorgeous language;"Shu Wen",the literary form for lyricism,which can express opinions freely;and "a model of epistolary art ",the literary form for deal with business,which brief and clear.In addition,Yang Wanli’s letters has a unique artistic characteristics in line with his Chengzhai style poetry,including the creation style which humorous and straightforward,and the creative approach that full of vitality,as well as attention to details,and the combination of parallel prose and prose style is also unique in the letters of Southern Song Dynasty.The conclusion is mainly a summary of the previous content.At the same time,it also reflects on the corresponding shortcomings of the paper,so as to clarify the future research direction.