Organizer: David W. Pankenier, Lehigh University
Chair: Robert Joe Cutter, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Competing with Creative Transformation: Wit in the Poetry of Ouyang Xiu
(1007-1072)
Colin Hawes, University of British Columbia
Wit is central to the work of English poets like John Donne (1572-1631) and Alexander Pope (1688-1744). This paper applies the concept of wit to the poetry of Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), a major figure in the Song transformation of literature.
Wit is defined first as "the ingenious, often humorous, comparison of unlike objects," and second, as "Nature dressed to advantage." Previous commentators have looked down on Ouyang's poetry for its unwieldy mix of frivolity and prosaic intellectualism. Viewed from the witty standpoint, however, his use of incongruous juxtaposition, clever rhymes and metres, diction crafted to seem "natural," and exaggerated caricature are transfigured into delightful advantages.
Ouyang's statements on poetry justify all these aspects of his craft, without subsuming them under a single term. He places himself within a "witty" tradition influenced by the Mid-Tang circle around Han Yu (768-824) and stretching back to the Classic of Poetry. He claims that fine poetry "competes with the ingenuity of Creative Transformation" (yu zaohua zheng qiao), altering mood and even natural cosmic cycles by means of its evocative power. His witty transformation of natural objects around him is illustrated with several poems. Overcoming the reality of aging, sickness and impending mortality is his central concern. Witty poetry distracts him from present gloom, and will last as a vital record of his life after he dies.
The use of wit proves remarkably fruitful in unifying Ouyang Xiu's poetic endeavour. Other Northern Song poets-Mei Yaochen and Su Shunqin, even Huang Tingjian and Su Shi-might benefit from a similar approach.
From Object to Symbol: The Evolution of Yongwu shi (Poetry on Object) from
Southern Dynasties to Tang Periods
Fusheng Wu, University of Utah
This essay will examine the development of yongwu shi from the Southern Dynasties when it first flourished to Tang periods when it reached its full maturity. It will argue that this poetic genre started as a skillful and witty description devoid of poet's personal engagement, but was transformed later into a symbolic presentation in which the object being described is no longer simply an object, but a symbol of the poet's personal life.
The yongwu shi of Southern Dynasties poets like Xiao Gang is a part of a decadent poetic agenda to challenge and subvert the canonical notion of poetry as an expression of one's feelings and thoughts (shi yan zhi). It aims to separate description and expression and to turn description into an ontologically independent activity, thereby transforming poetic production into a verbal game which is the trademark of Palace Style poetry. As a result, the yongwu shi of Xiao Gang is marked by an artificial superficiality which is most offensive in the Chinese tradition where sincere and profound content are always valorized. But this poetic genre was regenerated in the hands of Tang poets like Li Shangyin who recuperated it by integrating it into the canonical tradition. His way of doing so was through re-introducing into yongwu shi the most treasured elements in the Chinese poetic tradition, namely the intense personal engagement of the poet, and a profound, subtle meaning. The skillful description was retained, but it was made to serve a larger poetic goal, which was to express his personal experience. Thus, in Li Shangyin's yongwu shi, the superficial, empty object in Xiao Gang's work was transformed into a profoundly charged symbol of the poet and his life.
Two Authorial Rhetorics of Li Yu's Works: Inversion and Auto-Communication
Ying Wang, Princeton University
Due to the domination of the Confucian pragmatic theory and the emphasis on the social function of literature, Chinese literary tradition has always valued the "objective" or "impersonal" mode of narration or presentation over any mode that allows for direct appearances of the author. This objective narratorial rhetoric, although not used exclusively, remains a constant model for the other narrative genres, which included not only unofficial historiography and classical fiction, but also vernacular fiction.
The seventeenth century saw a gradual emergence of the authorial persona in vernacular literature. But Li Yu (1611-1680) was probably the first writer who elaborated the individual voice of this narrator to such a degree that one can draw an equation between the persona adopted by Li Yu the writer and Li Yu the man. In order to move away from tradition and the predominant trend, Li Yu deliberately chose a narrative mode or authorial voice which was self-reflexive and personal. An examination of rhetorical devices in Li Yu's writings uncovers two strong characteristics, respectively working at two different levels. For the narrative level or textual level, he employed the rhetoric of fan'an wenzhang, or the rhetoric of inversion. For the meta-textual level, he utilized the mode of comment in such a way that his narratives revealed a trait of auto-communication.
This paper will give a brief account on the rhetoric of fan'an wenzhang and the characteristics of auto-communication that are pronounced in Li Yu's literary writings.
An Insubordinate Heart: Dynastic Legitimacy and the Problem of Huan Wen
Andrew Chittick, University of Michigan
The transfer of power from Han to Wei and Wei to Jin established a precedent for dynastic transition that emphasized the direct manipulation of the court and of ritual forms over the actual control of territory. By justifying a powerful minister's right to usurp the throne in a time of imperial weakness, this system contributed greatly to the deterioration of the sanctity of the lord-minister bond, and left the Eastern Jin open to repeated challenges from powerful ministers. The most impressive challenge came from Huan Wen, but the true significance of his career has been largely obscured by the heavily politicized and negative interpretations developed in the century after his death. In this paper I will offer my own interpretation of Huan Wen's ambition and explore the very real issues his challenge brought forth. In particular, I will explore the writings and ideas of one of Huan Wen's subordinates, Xi Zuochi, who was critical both of Huan Wen and of the Eastern Jin throne, and who offered his own alternative theory of dynastic legitimacy as a guide to re-establishing the authority of the court. Though neglected in his own day, Zuochi's formulation had a lasting impact on Chinese political theory, and provides a useful antidote to the prevalent biases of Eastern Jin historiography.