The Spirit of Chinese Poetics

Author: Hu Xiangming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: The fundamental method adopted in this treatise begins with the interconnectedness of Chinese philosophy, culture, and poetics, aiming to reveal the spiritual direction and prototypes of Chinese scholarship. The book is divided into two parts: the Inner Part and the Outer Part. The Inner Part is a longitudinal historical analysis, focusing on the spiritual direction of Chinese poetics from the pre-Qin period to the Song Dynasty. The Outer Part is a cross-sectional specialized analysis, emphasizing the exploration of the spiritual prototypes of Chinese poetics from the relationships between humans and society, humans and nature, and humans and the self. From the perspective of modern cultural anthropology, poetic theory, as a reflection of one of humanity's highest spiritual activities, necessarily relates to deeper and broader beliefs, such as emotions, imagination, intuition, the structure of the human mind, organic society, and eternal truths. Therefore, rather than asserting that poetics itself has the right to be an object of inquiry, it is more accurate to say that it offers a unique perspective for observing the history of the human mind and the humanities. The narrative perspective adopted in this treatise focuses on analyzing the spiritual values and intellectual traditions embedded in traditional Chinese poetics. The intellectual tradition in Chinese poetics, at its core, is indeed a humanistic spirit. By contrast with religious spirit and the spirit of natural science, the humanistic spirit prioritizes human nature, life, humanity, and personality as its foundation, embodying a knowledge-oriented and value-oriented intention. The intellectual tradition in Chinese poetics is not static, but it shares a common characteristic: a deep and persistent concern for the image of the human self and the contributions that humanity should make to society. The fundamental method adopted in this treatise begins with the interconnectedness of Chinese philosophy, culture, and poetics, aiming to reveal the spiritual direction and prototypes of Chinese poetics. The book is divided into two parts: the Inner Part and the Outer Part. The Inner Part is a longitudinal historical analysis, focusing on the spiritual direction of Chinese poetics from the pre-Qin period to the Song Dynasty. The Outer Part is a cross-sectional specialized analysis, emphasizing the exploration of the spiritual prototypes of Chinese poetics from the relationships between humans and society, humans and nature, and humans and the self.