Aesthetic Spirit Of YuanMei's Xingling Theory

Yuan Mei(1716-1797),one highly influential writer and esthetician of the 18 th century in China's Qing Dynasty,was well known in his time for his maverick personality,unconventionality and emphasis on the taste of life.In poetry writing,he advocated the Xingling Theory,holding that “all the long-standing poems after the three hundred poems(the Classic of Poetry)show ingeniousness,instead of superfluous phrases”.He promoted the display of ingeniousness and poets' personality in their poetry aesthetic writing,which should also show their genuine feelings,interest,knowledge and experience in their individual life.For these reasons,he became a highly controversial poet and poetic theorist at that time.In this dissertation,the aesthetic spirit of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory is taken as the object of study,to survey and expound its “human-valued”,“life-valued” and “emotion-valued” aesthetic spirit.This paper is divided into five chapters.The first chapter studies the social and personal factors and thought origin of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory,detailed in two parts.The first part studies the social and personal aesthetical orientations against which Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory was proposed.A series of policies were implemented in the early Qing Dynasty to promote economic development.As its economy developed,the rulers also intensified autocracy.With high-strength literary persecution,the literati were not allowed to talk about current affairs freely,and could only be buried in textual researches and promoting ancient styles.It was because of Yuan Mei's life experience of repeated rise and fall and his unique aesthetic orientation that the Xingling Theory was highly advocated by Yuan Mei.For this reason,his Xingling Theory caused a huge sensation in the literary world,received responses from many poets and led to the formation of the massive school of “Xingling Theory”.The second part studies the cultural and thought origin of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory.It is pointed out here that,the aesthetic thoughts of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory was proposed and flourished in the background of being anti-ancient,anti-texturism,anti-romantic-charm and anti-stylists during the Qianlong and Jiaqing Periods in the Qing Dynasty.It is a brief tracing of the source of the development of the aesthetic thoughts of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory,and points out that,Yuan Mei's great achievement in the Xingling Theory is inevitable in history.The second chapter studies the “human-valued” aesthetic spirit in the Xingling Theory,detailed in three parts.The first part is the study of the relationship between the spirit of humanistic aesthetics of the Xingling Theory and the Confucian traditions.It is pointed out that,the spirit of humanistic aesthetics in Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory is consistent with the humanities aesthetic spirit in Confucianism,both fully affirming persons and being a free spirit with poetic and aesthetic characteristic in essence spiritually.The second part is the study of “human-valued” aesthetic spirit that stresses the self-value.It is believed that,people must express their true feelings,which include the feelings between men and women that were strongly opposed in the feudal society,and also includes the equality of different classes and love of all things in nature.The third part studies Yuan Mei's individual aesthetic appeal and the humanistic aesthetic spirit,and points out that,it embodies the spirit of humanistic aesthetics,shows the human beings' genuine feelings and reflects the value of people.It pays attention to individuals' aesthetic appeals and emphasizes people's personalities,so as to focus on the characteristics of novelty and originality.The third chapter mainly studies the “life-valued” aesthetic spirit in the Xingling Theory,detailed in two parts.The first part is the research of real life experience.Yuan Mei argued that,poetic creation is a manifestation of individual life worlds by poets and writers,and strongly advocated the performance of life thoughts.He believed that,the theory of Xingling Theory includes the above two points: not only pay attention to the individual's life feelings,but also advocate the performance of whole life thoughts,which is indeed embodies the “life-valued” aesthetic spirit in the Xingling Theory.The second part studies the free expression of free life.He held that,free expression must depend on temperament,since only creation out of temperament is free expression of free life.The free expression of free life reflects the self-focused principle of the enjoyment of life and happy life.It is held that,life should be “poetic dwelling”;“Xingling Theory” is a natural life consciousness and a pure and true expression of life thoughts,and reflects the “highest reality” of “ego”.The fourth chapter mainly expounds the “emotion-valued” aesthetic spirit in the Xingling Theory,detailed in three parts.The first part traces its theoretical source and studies the relationship between the “expression of temperament” and the “expression of emotions with poetry”.It is held that,the “expression of temperament” is a kind of enrichment and perfection of the theory of “expression of emotions with poetry”.The second part is on the practical applications of “emotion-valued” aesthetic spirit,with some of Yuan Mei's prose works selected as the evidence of his “emotion-valued” aesthetic theory.It is pointed out that,Yuan Mei highly emphasized the representation of “temperament” in his literary works;Yuan Mei's “temperament” theory in his works more respected natural emotions or aesthetic emotions,and opposed the restriction of “temperament” by morality,rationality and cognition,seeking “temperament” from “emotions”,with greater aesthetic significance.Yuan Mei made extraordinary achievements in literary works at his age,and his “emotions” are a manifestation of the true status of life itself and shows the value of human life.In the third part,the aesthetic significance of “expression of temperament” is studied.It is held that,for “expression of temperament”,writers should be against works not expressing temperament,against being “gentle and kind”,against blind imitation of the ancient,stylists,romantic charm and texturism and against traditional Confucian poetry,and advocate creation freedom,fresh creation and display pure and innocent temperament.Its aesthetic significance involves both poetic aesthetics and the thoughts of life aesthetic.The “emotion-valued” aesthetic spirit is the core of Yuan Mei's Xingling Theory.The fifth chapter studies the development process of the “emotion-valued” aesthetic spirit in the “Xingling Theory”,detailed in two parts.The first part analyzes the variation of “temperament” theory and the formation of aesthetic emotion theory.It points out the evolution process of “emotions” from objective reality to inner emotions,the evolution of meaning of “temperament” and the relationship between “temperament” and “emotions”,and thus points out that the essence of the “human being” lies in “emotions”.The second part analyzes the aesthetic intention of Yuan Mei's “temperament” theory,and points out the difference between Yuan Mei's “temperament” and the ancients'.Yuan Mei attached great importance to the true emotions in nature and daily life and to feelings between relatives,friendship and love in real life;he held that “temperament” should be personalized and show individual true feelings “as they are”.He especially stressed that,the feelings between men and women is a normal human emotion,and raised it to an unprecedented height,believing that,feelings between men and women is one of the driving forces to promote social progress,a fundamental human feelings,and that “expression of aspirations” is “expression of emotions”.Yuan Mei extended the scope of “expression of aspirations with poetry” and aligned the aesthetic spirit of “expression of emotions with poetry” with that of “expression of aspirations with poetry”.In terms of the history of poetic aesthetics,Yuan Mei's “Xingling Theory” shows a strong anti-tradition,anti-idolatry,anti-imitation,and innovative aesthetic spirit.Yuan Mei,after inheriting the predecessors' “Xingling Theory” and its aesthetic thoughts,extended the connotations of the aesthetic spirit of the “Xingling Theory”,and stressed that people should live life naturally.Yuan Mei's advocated the “Xingling Theory”;he highly upheld the true emotions of human beings in his poetry aesthetic creations,together with his in-depth exploration of the value and meaning of human existence and his “human-valued”,“life-valued” and “emotion-valued” thoughts,making him a great poet and poetic theorist.