Critical Review On Xu Xuan And His Works

Compared with other historical periods, researches on the literature between the Five Dynasties and Early Sung China are relatively weak, which is mainly caused by the less intensive and extensive exploration on individual writers. Xu Xuan(917-992), a major writer in this period but scarcely investigated serves as a good case in point. As a leading literature figure between Southern Tang and early Sung era, his political career spanning several dynasties and outstanding political status ensure the unrivaled depth and width of his works in reflecting society, politics and culture. As far as literature is concerned, whether considered from the aspect of existing works, literature status or his impact on the literature of Sung dynasty, his literary achievements are peerless and he merits the title of "literary fathers" of his generation. Researches on Xu Xuan and his works play an irreplaceable role and are of great importance for the understanding of politics, culture, literature and other aspects in that historical period.Owing to the scarcity of researches on Xu Xuan and his works in the literary circle, this dissertation will mainly focus on two facets:the first part examines his bibliography, personality, philosophy and literature creation in great detail from the perspective of text research; and the second section highlights the chronological compilation of his works from the perspective of literature documentation.The first part is composed of the following chapters.Chapter one mainly reviews Xu Xuan's family background and his bibliography. This information is timely ordered for witnessing the influence of family and environment on his writing. His official careers are detailed and some misconception about his life and literary activities is corrected.Chapter two points out such merits of Xu Xuan as moderation and integrity, precise preference and abhorrence, fairness and thriftiness, rewarding and promoting juniors and so on. It further corrects the recklessly imposed faults such as incriminating Pan You (an official devoted to political reform), involving Li Yu (the last emperor in Southern Tang dynasty) in calamity, whitewashing his own mistakes, etc.Chapter three investigates Xuan Xuan's Confucian and Taoist doctrines and literature concept by relating the social background and his essays and poems. The following features in his writings are indicated:the subordination of officials to sovereignty, charity and assistance to the society and education ideas in Confucianism, the pursuit of heavenly immortals and worship of supernatural beings in Taoism, poems for edification, chant for emotion and disposition, but essay for practicality in his literature conception. These ideas are of important value for the renaissance of Confucian spirit and restoration of Taoist tradition.Chapter four mainly revises the distorted critical review and evaluation of Xu Xuan's poems, which covers these aspects:time categorization, content and style of his poems, the view of "the older one gets, the better his poem becomes".Chapter five discusses the epitaphs and imperial decrees he wrote and their characteristics and value. It is declared that these epitaphs have the spirit of faithful record and are important historical data. The imperial decrees featured verbal elegance and respecting truth. The wrong view in academic circle that only "yuxi" rather than "wuhu" is used for exclamation in imperial decrees is corrected.Chapter six discusses Xu Xuan's influence on later ages from four aspects:Xu Xuan's status and accomplishment in literature, his circle of acquaintance and effect in literature world, the significance of imparting students knowledge and skills to literature development in early Sung period, the recognition and acceptance of his poems in his age and later.The second part of this dissertation is a chronological compilation of his works due to insufficient research in this field.Firstly, the poems and imperial decrees which are not chronologize before are either precisely or approximately chronologically compiled to the extent of accurate year or relatively short period.Secondly, for the works already chronologized before or marked with year, this research supplement new materials for confirmation. Based on previous researches, the present study endeavors to chronologize these works to the specific month or even date. This research also corrects the previous chronological errors and discusses and identifies the causes.Thirdly, this research further discriminates and analyses the characters, incidents and places referred to in his works while chronologizing.The above-mentioned two parts of this dissertation aims to accumulating more data both documentarily and theoretically for research on Xu Xuan, supplying specific historical materials for research on politics and culture of his times, providing important case for literature study in the transition between Five Dynasties and Early Sung period, and promoting the identification of the importance of this age in the history of Chinese literature.