From itinerant scholar to Confucian scholar (Essays on Han and Tang Scholarly Atmosphere and Literary Style)

Author: Zha Pengqiu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book primarily studies the relationship between the scholar ethos 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 context of the evolution of scholar ethos. 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. Chapter 1 analyzes the impact of the shift in scholar ethos during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty on the mindset of scholars, emphasizing the relationship between scholarly learning and literary style at the time through the characteristics of bamboo and silk texts. Chapter 2 takes the scholar ethos of the Jiangdong region as the background to analyze the relationship between the elite culture centered on metaphysics and the Confucian-influenced scholar culture, as well as their manifestations in contemporary literary theory. Chapter 3 examines the continuation and transformation of the elite culture of the Wei and Jin dynasties in the early and mid-Tang period as the background to explain the characteristics of mid-Tang literature and analyze the cultural factors that constitute the "voice of the mid-Tang." Chapter 4 focuses on the activities of the Confucian scholar group before and after the An Lushan Rebellion to illustrate the role of Confucian spirit in the development of literature. Chapter 5 analyzes the literary style of the mid- and late Tang dynasties against the backdrop of the revival of Confucianism in the mid-Tang, 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 scholarly learning. The postscript investigates several textual issues in the transition of Tang literature.