The Tension Between Literature And Study Of Confucian Classics

The Book of Songs has a dual identity of literary works and Confucian classics,with literary works as its essential attribute and Confucian classics as a cultural role endowed by history.The interpretation of the Book of Songs presents two main streams.In the Qing Dynasty and previous dynasties,Confucian interpretation was subjective interpretation,while since the May Fourth Movement,literary interpretation has gradually become subjective interpretation.The Original Book of Songs written by Fang Yurun,a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty,separated a branch of literary interpretation from the flood of Confucian interpretation,and became famous for its literary interpretation of poetry in later generations,making it a "miraculous book".Based on the great literary achievements of the Original Book of Songs,scholars habitually discuss its literary contribution while neglecting its Confucian value,which is not objective.The Original Book of Songs has a stronger flavor of study of Confucian classics and is worth systematically summarizing and studying.Speaking broadly,study of Confucian classics has played a positive role in shaping national values and inheriting the spirit of Chinese civilization in history,and should also be given sufficient attention.Adopting the perspective of values and reinterpreting the connotation of traditional Confucian classics may be one of the directions for the transformation and innovation of study of Confucian classics.Especially,only by discussing literature and study of Confucian classics together can it be possible to explore the tension between the two.Therefore,the core content of the thesis consists of four parts,briefly summarized as literature,study of Confucian classics,the tension between literature and study of Confucian classics,and the innovation of study of Confucian classics.Specifically,the first part rediscusses the literary thought seen in the Original Book of Songs.Fang Yurun’s correct understanding of the literary features of the Book of Songs,such as lyricism,ambition,beauty of music and artistic conception,indicates that the Book of Songs is a literary work and also indicates that he did use literary methods to interpret the Book of Songs.His methods of reading the Book of Songs are profound and extensive,including immersing and interpreting the poem with the tone,theories of art of composition and article level,diction,syntax and textual method,communication between readers’ hearts and poets’ emotions,and so on.Fang Yurun emphasizes the illocutionary meaning and the tenor of the poem when interpreting the poem,which are important terms in the field of poetry criticism.Fang Yurun also reveals the inspiration of the Book of Songs for later literature,enriching future research on them and providing new ideas for reexamining the history of Chinese literature.Fang Yurun’s interpretation of the Book of Songs in later poetry enriches the interpretation methods,and also indicates that later poetry and the Book of Songs are both literary works.The essence of literature is aesthetic creation,and there is no difference in essence between Chinese and Western literature.Chinese and Western literary theories are also similar.We have applied Western literary theory to interpret the Original Book of Songs and achieved good results,which may provide a new path for the study of such interpretive works.The second part explores Fang Yurun’s achievements of study of Confucian classics,with a focus on the "gentle and honest" poetic education ideology.Fang Yurun interprets the Book of Songs from the perspective of study of Confucian classics,firmly defending the poetic education,and makes further development of the inherent characteristics of poetic education.The manifestations of poetic education include the loyalty and love to the monarch,the harmony of marriage and family,and the Zhou royal court’s reverence for virtue and respect,each of which has corresponding practical significance.In Fang Yurun’s view,the order of "Feng" "Ya" "Song",the order of the fifteen "Guo Feng",and the order of poems in a certain category have all been deliberately arranged by the sage,which contains profound educational implications,including promoting the edification of King Wen,highlighting excellent ministers and virtuous women,expressing the legacy of the former Holy King,and serving as a warning,and so on.Fang Yurun is concerned about political gains and losses,striving to explore the political practical functions and political reference significance of poetry,which is his main purpose of respecting poetic education.He is concerned about political gains and losses,which is closely related to the political bias in ancient Chinese academic tradition,as well as to the zeitgeist and personal ideals.Compared with other works on the interpretation of the Book of Songs,the Original Book of Songs has some other features.The compilation style of the Original Book of Songs is helpful for the interpretation of poetry.The note section of the "Poetic Tenor",as well as the explanatory notes and general comments of various categories in "Feng" "Ya" and "Song",facilitate Fang Yurun’s elaboration of ideas of study of Confucian classics,and the side comments and eyebrow comments of specific poetry,facilitate the elaboration of literary techniques and the context of the poetry.In terms of textual research methods,Fang Yurun combines the method of textual evidence with the method of circumstantial evidence: the priority is to use the lines of the poem to verify each other,the second is to cite other poems in the classic as evidence,and then cite other classics as evidence,and finally cite other books as evidence.The first two methods belong to the method of textual evidence,which can mostly ensure the objectivity and accuracy of interpretation and are highly valued by Fang Yurun.Fang Yurun does not forcefully interpret,and directly labels poetry that could not be accurately tested for its purpose or tenor as "doubtful" or "unknown",reflecting a rigorous academic attitude and realistic academic spirit.The former Confucian scholars excessively adhered to the meaning of words,resulting in incorrect interpretation of words or sentences in poetry,committing the habit of causing harm to author’s meaning through words.This is pointed out and corrected by Fang Yurun.The third part explores the tension between literature and study of Confucian classics.The ideological connotation of the Book of Songs presents a state of opposition and coexistence between literature and study of Confucian classics,which is actually a kind of tension.The former Confucians only focused on the study of classics,and the tension was not obvious.Fang Yurun takes into account both literature and study of Confucian classics,and the tension between the two is vividly reflected in his interpretation,which is reflected in his exploration of Chun-Qiu Writing Method in the Book of Songs,his examination of love poetry,and his views on the "Liu Yi".Chun-Qiu Writing Method in the Book of Songs has the function of strengthening the Confucian ethical education in terms of study of Confucian classics,and has an impact on the content value and literary theory generation of ancient literature,showing the close connection between literature and study of Confucian classics.For love poetry,Fang Yurun may directly interpret it as a love poem between men and women,or interpret the love between men and women as a meaning of monarchs and ministers or friends,or express the idea of valuing virtue,or interpret it as a poem that satirizes sensuality.The first interpretation grasps the literary aspect of poetry,while the latter three interpretations are based on the perspective of study of Confucian classics.His interpretation of "Fu" "Bi" "Xing" is entirely from a literary perspective,realizing that the fundamental difference between "Feng" "Ya" and "Song" lies in the different genres,and conducting a series of discussions based on genres,which also belongs to the aspect of literature.At the same time,he also conducts a detailed examination of external factors such as the rise and fall of the times,human affairs and political achievements,and redefines the relationship with the formation of genres,which belongs to the field of study of Confucian classics.The consideration of both the aspect of literature and the field of study of Confucian classics makes the tension between literature and study of Confucian classics significantly distinguishable.The starting point and stance of Fang Yurun’s interpretation of the Book of Songs is the study of Confucian classics,and he does not possess a literary perspective or deliberately use literary methods.It is only because the essence of the Book of Songs is a literary work.He unintentionally touches upon this essence when he is seeking the poet’s Original meaning,so he unconsciously uses literary methods to appreciate the literary beauty of poetry.This is the fundamental reason why Fang Yurun interprets the Book of Songs through literature.Other reasons include the use of enlightening young children,special interest in literature,and the background of academic fission.Furthermore,there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the interpreter’s predetermined stance on study of Confucian classics and the fundamental literary essence of the poetry text,which creates the tension between literature and study of Confucian classics.The fourth part explores the innovation of study of Confucian classics.The tension mentioned above makes Fang Yurun’s interpretation present new ideas and features,bringing a turning point and vitality to the traditional interpretation of the Book of Songs.Therefore,Fang Yurun’s interpretation of the Book of Songs is also a kind of innovation of study of Confucian classics in the late Qing Dynasty.Examining these new ideas and Fang Yurun’s traditional thought of study of Confucian classics from the perspective of values,it is found that they have reference and inspiration for the modern transformation and innovation of study of Confucian classics,and can be used in modern society.For example,his emphasis on respecting the beginning and the foundation and frugal behavior,his praise of the spirit of gratitude,his cherishment of friendship,and his bold attention to the affection between men and women are worthy of our consideration and reference.In addition to these four parts,the thesis begins with an introduction to some basic information about Fang Yurun and the Original Book of Songs,and ends with a summary of the academic achievements and shortcomings of the Original Book of Songs.