Aesthetics Series by Zhu Guangqian: On Poetry

Author: Zhu Guangqian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The reasons why poetics has not developed much in China can be roughly divided into two. There is often a prejudice among poets and readers that the subtlety and profundity of poetry can only be grasped intuitively and not expressed in words. If it is subjected to scientific analysis, it would be like a jeweled pavilion, disassembled and no longer whole. Secondly, the psychological inclination of the Chinese tends to favor synthesis rather than analysis, excelling in intuitive thinking but lacking in logical reasoning. Rigorous analysis and logical induction are precisely the methods needed for the study of poetics. The neglect of poetics is always a misfortune. From historical facts, artistic creation and theory are often mutually causal. For example, Aristotle's Poetics is a conclusion derived from the analysis of Greek literary works, and it later influenced many poets. This influence was neither entirely good nor entirely bad. Next, regarding appreciation, our love or dislike for artistic works should not be blind. It is not enough to simply feel that they are good or bad; we must further investigate why they are good or why they are bad. The task of poetics is to find reasons for the facts about poetry.