From itinerant scholar to Confucian scholar -- A manuscript on the scholarly and literary styles of the Han and Tang dynasties

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 issue 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 Wu period of the Han dynasty on the mindset of literati, 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 famous scholar culture centered on metaphysics and the Confucian-consciousness-focused scholar culture, as well as their manifestations in contemporary literary theory. Chapter 3 examines the continuation and transformation of the famous scholar culture tradition 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 mid-Tang literary voice. 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 background 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 examines several documentary issues in the transition of Tang literature.