Hou Fangyu Xueyuan Society Study

Hou Fangyu was a famous literature in the end of Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty whose literary creation has a close relation with Xue Yuan society. Xue Yuan society has undergone three phases, so Hou Fangyu's literary creation was correspondingly divided into three periods. The members of Early Xue Yuan society cared of the affairs of state, boldly criticized social ills with a positive spirit. In the arts, they advocated novel and flowery writing style. As members of the medium-term Xue Yuan society, they expressed their concerns and feelings of anger, because they have no opportunity to fulfill themselves. As a result, they spoke highly of fervent artistic style, especially. Xue Yuan society in the late period was reconstructed in the early Qing Dynasty, the members paid more attention to expressing their life experience and complex emotion, because they alienated the social realities. They learnt Du Fu's poetry's style of elegance, while reviving Chinese classical prose weakened in the Ming Dynasty and reversing the literature style of the early Qing Dynasty through learning eight Chinese classical essayist of the Tang and Song Dynasties. We can understand the change of Hou Fangyu's literary writing style and its trajectory from the Xue Yuan society because Hou Fangyu was profoundly affected by Xue Yuan society. His early poems and essays were full of concerning of state affairs, expressing aspiration and positive enthusiasm. Poems were graceful and highly spirited, while essays were full of literary grace. His middle literary creation expressed anxiety and hate to the state affairs, the poems reflected history with depression and sadness. After his literal style became into uneven from neat, the prose is overwhelming in a tactful language and a round style of writing and with vivid description. The late poems expressed the sincere love of his country with profoundness and implication, while the late Chinese classical prose were full of free spirit with a sure hand, and rich in changes and rules. Therefore, his position in the writings of the early Qing Dynasty was established. We confirm that Xue Yuan society played an important role undoubtedly in the process of transforming of Hou Fangyu's works style.