Paradox Of Li Yu: Political Tragedy And Literary Brilliance

As a spectacular and special poet in Chinese classical literary circle, Li Yu's another identity-the incompetent emperor, is as well known as his brilliant poems, which endows him much more intriguing specialty. His political tragedy and literary brilliance, which are strikingly contrasted with each other, become a paradox that he could never break out all through his life.A series of items on Li Yu's political tragedy and literary brilliance are analyzed by the academic circles. However, the earlier researches, which always ignore Li Yu's achievement, universally stick at the cognition of Li Yu's rottenness as an emperor. Besides, on the analysis of the artistic style and the change of artistic position of Li Yu's poems in different life states, the researches mainly attribute them to the external factors such as his political tragedy, which leads to the lack of the concern on the critical factor-Li Yu's artistic temperament. This thesis starts with Li Yu's political life, trying to analyze the way how his unique artistic temperament controls his life.Chapterl:When still quite young, Li Yu has already showed his unique artistic temperament and his alienation to country governing; then his living environment strengthened this alienation. This tendency affected Li Yu's later life in a profound way.Chapter 2:Although Li Yu has had great governing enthusiasm when he just became the king of Nan Tang, and taken various measures to release the social contradiction, he has still mistakenly taken the totally leaning to Northern Song's side's foreign policy because of his long-term alienation to country governing. Hence he accomplished nothing in diplomacy and military affairs, and Nan Tang's national subjugation was aggravated.Chapter 3:Northern Song dispatched troops to Nan Tang when Li Yu was still between the devil and the deep blue sea. The great external pressure forced all the serious problems which was covered up in peaceful time emerged, so that all the military resistance of Nan Tang achieved nothing. The destiny of Nan Tang was unchangeable.Chapter4:Nan Tang was conquered. Instead of keeping his oath of death, Li Yu surrendered to Northern Song and was imprisoned in Bian Jing. The humiliating experience in this period caused Li Yu's awaking, and he started to realize his responsibility as the king of Nan Tang. Though the awakening was obviously a lethal dangerous to him, he could not suppress. This awakening poured into his poems extraordinary impressiveness, which infuriated the ruler of Northern Song, and finally leaded to his death. Although his awakening was too late to make any difference of the condition, it was still valuable.