Liu Jiangsun's Analysis

This dissertation discusses Liu Jiangsun's literature work by combining the research methods of sociology, history and culturology. Through classification and integration, this thesis reveals the style and thinking of Liu Jiangsun's lyric. It also shows Liu Jiangsun's essence of thing by taking the social condition and literature condition of in the Late Song Dynasty and the Early Yuan Dynasty into consideration.In the first chapter, the thesis studies the life and family of Liu Jinagsun, including his native place, wife, descendant, and the origin of his given name, alternative name and assumed name. Also, his course of growth and the experience of seclusion and back to officialdom are introduced.In the second chapter, His prefaces that he wrote for other people contain lots of his views of literature comment. For example, he have a high regard for Sima Qian, Han Yu, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Xin Qiji etc. He advocates that the position of poem, lyric, and prose should be equal regardless the period of the work and there are no difference of the proses between ancient and the contemporary age. He also emphasize that the literature should be composed to express one's true feeling, and it should be beautifully expressed the logic of the Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming dynasties. It is need to put the qingqi in literature works.In the second chapter, 'the lyric of Liu Jiangsun', the thesis illustrates the content characteristics and aesthetic features of Liu Jiangsun's lyric and analyzes his lyric in the lyric groups of Song Dynasty adherents. The content of his lyric contains common sentiment as adherents of a former dynasty, such as retiring from the world, hating why the spring finished so fast, yearning for the former dynasty and sighing with emotion when they stand on a higher level. To reveal the aesthetic features, the thesis analyzes his contribution to the development of lyric initiated by Su Shi and Xin Qiji, both of inheritance and deploitation, and the difference between his and his father's lyric.In the third chapter, 'the poems of Liu Jiangsun', the thesis analyzes Liu Jiangsun's poems from the standpoints of history and culture condition. First, Liu Jiangsun demonstrated extraordinary talent in poet and prose in his early age, when his literature work was praised by famous authorities. Second, Liu Jiangsun shown his worry, contradiction and helpless in his poems as the cultural heritage, learning mood of society and scholar's prospect were influenced because the imperial examinations were interrupted in Yuan Dynasty. Third, since the social environment of Late Song Dynasty and the Early Yuan Dynasty is similar to Wei Jin Period to some extent, Liu's work has some similarities with Wei Jin style. Fourth, Liu Jiangsun was deeply influenced by the developed Chan Buddihism in Jiangxi province in late Song Dynasty. And he shows the his considering poetry is just like considering Chan Buddihism.In the fourth chapter, 'the proses of Liu Jiangsun', some article styles of Liu Jiangsun's proses are introduced. For example, prefaces, proses given to another one at parting, narrations, inscription, and memorial tablet at grave. He put his literature viewpoints into practice through these proses. His grave inscription and memorial often recall the details of his friendship with the tomb's host or hostess, and there are not flattery to them. For instance, there is one inscription for a female person that shows his concept on women. Moreover, he used various kind of methods to describe things in his proses given to another one at parting. Therefore the portraits in his proses are vivid, and it makes his prose spry. In literature comments, his work even influenced the literature style in Yuan and Ming Dynasties.In the summary, this thesis firstly introduced the problem of sorting that whether Liu Jiangsun's work should be attributed to Yuan Dynasty or Song Dynasty. Then it illustrates Liu Jiangsun's academic standing of his time. After that the thesis analyzes the reason why Liu Jiangsun's fame did not match his true contribution. At last, contemporary people and later generation's comments on him and his work are introduced. His influence on later generation is commented.In the appendix, the author compiles a chronicle of Liu Jiangsun's life.