Speed Reading - Wen Yiduo Volume

Author: Chen Jun (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: On July 15, 1946, after attending the memorial service for Li Gongpu, Wen Yiduo was shot and killed on his way home. "The Death of Wen Yiduo" was, for him, the completion of "poetry"—the transition from poetry as an art to poetry as an act. For his era, it was a pivotal moment; whether it was the "nation" he once believed in or the "people" he later upheld in the 1940s, both were solidified under his figure. In the history of modern literature, he was second only to Lu Xun in the honors he received. In fact, for most of his life, he lived as a poet—whether by promoting the trend of regulated verse, immersing himself in the of ancient classics and traditional literature, or even in his fierce and vivid political activities, it was always evident that he was a poet, not a scholar or a politician. His nationalism, his academic research, and his ethical views on the people all stemmed from a poet's perspective. Especially in "The Death of Wen Yiduo," his passion was stirring, much like the spirit of the Chu people. Later interpretations often portrayed him as a highly politicized figure, an image that is both puzzling and unrealistic. Wen Yiduo was one of the earliest to affirm the importance of the "mysterious element" in poetry and revealed the intrinsic connection between the "hidden" (, ) in Chinese poetry and the "image" and "symbolism" in Western poetry. He tirelessly sought the possibility of "dialogue" between traditional Chinese poetics and modern Western poetics. Moreover, in his poetic practice, he employed the creation of dreams and illusions, imagery and symbolism, death imagery and atmosphere, bringing a mystical beauty to poetry.