On Qin Literary Recluse Complex

Many pre-Qin literary works are on the subject of the hermit, which in many different forms and from many different perspectives describe hermits' daily lives, reveal their spiritual world, write of their pleasure, and express their thick hermit complex. Taking this as the cut-in point, with The Book of Song, The Analects, Zhuangzi and QuYuan's poetry as the objects of main focus which is accompanied by the other literature, this thesis aims at expounding the manifestation of hermits' complex and its development in history; making comparative analysis of the differences of this complex resulted from the influence of different ideological schools in particular periods of pre-Qin days and bringing to light its aesthetic value and its influence on later generation, in the hope of better understanding the living condition of ancient scholars and the essence of ancient culture so as to broaden and deepen the study in ancient Chinese literature to better inherit ancient cultural legacy.The thesis comprises six parts:The introduction sketches the social background for the emergence of the phenomenon of hermits and the features of hermits. The former is a correspondence with the dark politics, self-sufficient economy and human needs for freedom. The fundamental features of hermits are expressed by their despising the riches, being willing to suffer poverty while keeping morally lofty so that they win respect in society. Yet some rulers dislike hermits and kill them. The two opposite attitudes affect the feelings and attitudes of hermits in different degrees.The second part expounds the manifestation of the hermit complex in The Book of Songs, analyzing one after another Tapping Plate, Putting Wood Horizontal as Door, Crane Chirping, A Yak's tail Tassel Topped onFlagpole, to show that the features of early hermits are: broad-minded, leisurely and placid, happy and harmonious, solemn and quiet. Their attitude that despises the world and the multitude is feeble and their reaction against society is not obvious. They strive for regressing to and be nature and be harmonious with nature. Their verses are reserved and natural, with language fresh and elegant.The third part dwells on the hermit complex of Confucius through The Analects, Confucius holds the positive outlook on life, taking as the criteria "When the Way prevails under Heaven, then show yourself; when it does not prevail, then hide." He handles the contradictions between showing and hiding with golden mean philosophy so as to complete the hard transition from showing to hiding and becomes happy on achieving his own value in culture activities in his later years.The fourth part examines the intelligent hiding of ZhuangZhou through Zhangzi. ZhuangZhou follows the examples of nature and proposes the idea of inaction. He also holds the hiding idea of emphasizing life and self and preventing one's natural quality from being polluted. He succeeds in removing the enslavement and fetter of the objects off his mind by intellectual purification, which enables him to go on a free and unfettered route with leisure and to a large degree, obtain his spiritual liberation, independence and freedom.The fifth part sees the miseries and puzzles of QuYuan's transient intermittent intelligence-spiritual wandering through reading Songs of The South. He expresses his wish of hiding and keeping separate from the world by writing of traveling like a celestial being. Yet, finally he can't bear the pain of his ideas being shattered, and drowns himself in Miluo River.The content of the concluding part is as follows: firstly the differences and metaphysical similarities of the hermit complex in the above classical works are compared; secondly, the aesthetic values of the complex in pre-Qin literature are expounded: noble and unsullied characters,independent and complacent spiritual state and the social significance of purifying customs; tranquil, leisurely and comfortable feelings that are vivid and moving, techniques of Bi (one thing is used to represent another), Xing (one...