| This dissertation is a deconstructive reading of the prevailing views on Chinese Natural Philosophy and its impact on Chinese literature and the arts, especially its impact on Chinese poetry. The deconstruction is unfolded through three interrelated aspects: time, subject and language. The deconstruction posits: a double, conflicting sense of temporality rather than a unified time consciousness characterizes Chinese Natural Philosophy, poetry and other art forms under its influence. The subject (self), instead of being a uniform one, which is at once absent and omni-present as indicated by the syntax of classical Chinese poetry, is often divided against itself. As to language, instead of being a transparent language reflecting the real-life world unimpeded by human intellect, is often a plural text where linguistic characteristics are double-edged.; In other words, the dissertation is a rethinking of Chinese Natural Philosophy and poetry under its impact: how their serene, holistic vision is undercut by intrinsic contradictions that are only partly redeemed by aesthetic means, which have their pitfalls that end in suffering as well as in celebration.; The dissertation is divided into three chapters besides introduction and conclusion. The first part of Chapter I is a deconstructive reading, in respect to time, language and subject, of Taoist philosophy expounded in Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, and of the aesthetic strategies of Zen Buddhism. The second part is a panoramic, deconstructive reading of diverse art forms under its philosophical influence, including classical Chinese painting, novels, and poetry, contemporary Chinese “Seeking Root” films, as well as modern American poetry (especially the poetry of Wallace Stevens and Robert Bly) influenced by classical Chinese poetry and Taoist aesthetics. Chapter II is a deconstructive reading of some major Classical Chinese poets under Taoist influence. In my view, instead of a unified lyrical voice, classical Chinese poetry is often dialogic. The chapter examines the dialogue of omniscience (mythic) and limitation (empirical) in some major Chinese poets at the lexical, syntactic and imagistic level, a hidden split perpetuating the division within Taoist philosophy—between history and myth, mythopoetic and historical self, poetic sensibility and impersonal aspect of poetic form. Chapter III is a deconstructive reading of a contemporary Chinese poet—Gu Cheng. In this chapter, I explore how the hidden ruptures in time, self and language latent in Chinese Natural Philosophy and classical Chinese poetry open up abysmal chasm in Gu Cheng. The concluding chapter examines the affinity of Chinese Natural Philosophy and Western tradition of tragedy. |
