Other than Han and Wei’s poetry, High Tang’s poetry contributes most to the formation and development of the poetic style of Ming Dynasty. Based on the achievement of the predecessors, this dissertation attempts to find out the formatting and developing process of the consciousness of High Tang in Ming poetry and reveal the characteristics of this prevailing consciousness and its theoretical significance in the poetics’ history....[ Read more ]

Other than Han and Wei’s poetry, High Tang’s poetry contributes most to the formation and development of the poetic style of Ming Dynasty. Based on the achievement of the predecessors, this dissertation attempts to find out the formatting and developing process of the consciousness of High Tang in Ming poetry and reveal the characteristics of this prevailing consciousness and its theoretical significance in the poetics’ history.

In this dissertation, taking Canglang’s Remarks on Poetry written by Yan Yu as the starting point of the consciousness of High Tang in Ming Dynasty, the values of this consciousness in early Ming period is extracted from the poetic style of central Fujian. In addition, Gao Bing’s Tangshi Pinhui, considered as the first distinguishing symbol in both studying and disseminating this consciousness, is believed to be the foundation of poetry creations and studies in the whole Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, in an effort to better outlining and understanding Gao Bing’s work in literary history, anthologies Kang Lin’s Yayin Huibian, Chapter 1 comes with literature review and research purpose, significance and methodology of this dissertation. Chapter 2 introduces the life of Gao Bing, the publication of Tangshi Pinhui and the Poetics background of early Ming, and explores the spread of Tang Poetry since Tang and Song Dynasty and the conception of Tang Poetry before Ming Dynasty. Chapter 3 details the introduction and analysis of the anthologies involved. The major discussion parts of this dissertation starts from Chapter 4 to Chapter 8 in which several theories raised by Gao Bing and having great impacts on Ming Dynasty are analyzed and their inheritance and development in all phases of Ming dynasty is also clarified. These theories are Li Panlong’s Tang Poetry selections from Gujin Shishan, Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun’s Tangshi Gui, Tang Ruxun’s Tangshi Jie, Zhou Jing and Zhou Ting’s Tangshi Xuanmai Huitong Pinglin are compared and summarized, mainly in exploring on their origin, development and interrelationship, thus to reveal the paths and features of the poetics development in Gao Bing’s era and onwards. ix Fundamental elements of Poetry, the awareness of style discrimination, conception of Gushi, Orthodoxy and Variation of poetry, the superiority and inferiority of Li Bai and Du Fu, etc. A comprehensive cognition of the criticism and developing history of Tang Poetry in Ming Dynasty is thus established by comparisons of these anthologies in various perspectives.