THESIS
2018
viii, 125 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm
Abstract
As Hong Kong topographical poetry is often considered a representation of the hectic
aspects of an urban lifestyle, readers usually appreciate the poems through a preconceived
image of Hong Kong, that of the city. In contrast to the common approach that regards the
city as a reflection of ideologies and conflicts, this study takes topographical poetry as the
lived experiences of poets, in order to probe into a direct and personal realm of human and
place relationships. Hence, theories in the field of human geography, which focuses on the
concept of space and place, are applied to a large extent. As a whole, this thesis argues that a
place comes into being only when it is “lived” and endowed with a poet’s experiences, values
and emotions.
Through an in-depth study of topographic...[
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As Hong Kong topographical poetry is often considered a representation of the hectic
aspects of an urban lifestyle, readers usually appreciate the poems through a preconceived
image of Hong Kong, that of the city. In contrast to the common approach that regards the
city as a reflection of ideologies and conflicts, this study takes topographical poetry as the
lived experiences of poets, in order to probe into a direct and personal realm of human and
place relationships. Hence, theories in the field of human geography, which focuses on the
concept of space and place, are applied to a large extent. As a whole, this thesis argues that a
place comes into being only when it is “lived” and endowed with a poet’s experiences, values
and emotions.
Through an in-depth study of topographical poems in three chapters, this thesis sketches
the development of a “sense of place” among Hong Kong poets. The analysis of early
twentieth-century topographical poetry in Chapter Two shows that the poets tended to keep a
distance from the environment and hold a visitor’s perspective, and ideology and social
criticism were prevalent. Chapter Three delineates the significant changes topographical
poetry has gone through since the 1950s. The slackening of social criticism together with the
rise of personal perspectives helps to shape a place vividly and in great detail. The close reading of poetry depicting rural areas in Chapter Four reveals the complex nature of the
countryside―it is a source of melancholy in the course of development while it also provides
spiritual nourishment for city dwellers. Through the analysis of sense of distance, change of
perspective, inclusion of detail, and engagement of the human senses, this thesis figures out
the way a solid and sensuous place has gradually emerged in Hong Kong topographical
poetry.
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