From Tang Sound to Song Tune: Focusing on Early Northern Song Poetry

Author: Zeng Xiangbo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: This book conducts an empirical examination of the status and role of early Northern Song poetry in the historical process of "from Tang tone to Song style" from multiple perspectives, including political concepts, official systems, academic approaches, cultural mindsets, and poetic art. The introduction reviews relevant research achievements in academia on this issue and explains the basic concepts, research scope, and argumentation strategy of this book. Chapter 1 discusses the Confucian tradition and orthodox doctrines of early Northern Song, which serve as the deep political and cultural background for the Song poetry's recognition of the new changes in Tang poetry. Chapter 2 examines the continuation and transformation of the poetic style of the late Tang and Five Dynasties in early Song poetry. Chapter 3 explores the early Northern Song poets' emulation of Bai Juyi and Han Yu, discussing the early Northern Song poetry's identification and acceptance of mid-Tang poetry from the perspective of the literary inclination of the official system and the factional struggles in court politics. Chapter 4 analyzes the influence of the academic trend of valuing historical records and literary elegance in early Northern Song on the formation of the Xikun style, and discusses the relationship between the Xikun style, Bai-style, and Yinshan-style. Chapter 5 discusses two issues in the Tang-to-Song poetic scene—poetic form interactions and poetic vision—and points out the contributions of Ouyang Xiu and Mei Yaojun, representatives of the early Song poetic scene, to these issues. The conclusion provides a summary of the status and role of early Northern Song poetry in the historical process of "from Tang tone to Song style." This book consists of five chapters, covering the influence of early Song politics and cultural concepts on the inheritance of Tang-Song poetry; the continuation and transformation of late Tang poetic style; looking back to mid-Tang: the reception of Bai Juyi and Han Yu; a re-exploration and evaluation of the "Xikun style"; and other meanings of early Northern Song poetry in the turning point of Tang-Song poetry.