From itinerant scholar to Confucian scholar: Essays on the scholarly and literary styles of the Han and Tang dynasties

Author: Zha Pingqiu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book primarily studies the relationship between the scholar culture and literary style from the Han to the Tang dynasties, revealing the reasons behind the changes in literary trends and literary concepts in each stage through the historical background of the evolution of scholar culture. The book is divided into five parts. The preface reflects on the issues of integrating ancient and modern perspectives in literary history research and the modernization of ancient literary history studies by analyzing a debate in modern academic history. The first chapter analyzes the impact of the shift in scholar culture during the Wu Emperor's reign on the mindset of literati, emphasizing the relationship between the academic and literary styles of scholars at that time through the characteristics of bamboo and silk texts. The second chapter, set against the backdrop of the scholar culture of the Jiangdong region, examines the relationship between the scholar culture centered on Neo-Daoism and the Confucian-consciousness-centered scholar culture, as well as their manifestations in contemporary literary theory. The third chapter, based on the continuation and transformation of the scholar culture of the Wei and Jin period in the early and mid-Tang dynasties, explains the characteristics of mid-Tang literature and analyzes the cultural factors that constitute the mid-Tang literary voice. The fourth chapter focuses on the activities of the Confucian scholar culture group before and after the An Lushan Rebellion, illustrating the role of Confucian scholar spirit in the development of literature. The fifth chapter analyzes the literary styles of the mid- and late Tang dynasties against the backdrop of the revival of Confucianism in the mid-Tang period, with a particular emphasis on discussing the historical inevitability of the Tang poetic tradition evolving into the Song poetic tradition from the perspective of changes in academic style. The postscript examines several documentary issues in the transition of Tang literature.