The mid-T'ang literary arena is dominated by two influential figures; Han Yu and Po Chu-i and by the schools that formed around their poetry. These two prominent schools have developed very different poetic styles. Chang Chi is a major poet of the time who associates with both groups, yet he manages to retain his own uniqueness. Chang's poetic works include many yueh-fu titles with realistic themes, which display his profound thoughts and his elegant, crystalline style. He is particularly good at expressing intimate human concerns. By employing a simple yet refined poetic language, he has made clear and objective sketches of the hardships of common people's lives in the early ninth century. He has also left lucid and beautiful poems written in the "recent style," in which natural phenomena are strongly correlated with human feelings. My approach to Chang Chi's poetry is both historical and thematic. In studying the topoi of Chang's poetry, I first investigate the source and history of each theme and then compare Chang's works with his predecessors'. Chapter 1 provides a biographical study of Chang Chi's life, using available biographical and literary sources. In addition, I discuss the editions of Chang Chi's poetry collection. Chapter 2 deals with some of Chang Chi's major thematic concerns as reflected mainly in his yueh-fu poetry, such as social injustice brought on by incessant wars and repressive taxation. Chapter 3 analyzes Chang Chi's satires on Taoist religion, and poems on the carpe diem theme, as well as allegories and fables. Chapter 4 examines Chang's "frontier poetry" by tracing the origins of the "expedition and guard" theme. Chapter 5 explores the images of women in Chang's verse within the so-called "palace plaint" and "boudoir plaint" traditions. Finally, Chapter 6 offers a review of the critical reception of Chang's poetry throughout Chinese history, together with my own evaluation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/290645 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Wang, Wan-Hsiang, 1960- |
| Contributors | Miao, Ronald C. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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