Study On Wei-Jin Literary Theory In Shi Shuo Xin Yu

There are many materials which reflect the criticism of Wei-Jin literary theory inShi Shuo Xin Yu and Liu Xiaobiao’s marks. These materials contain not only anecdotalstories of writers and comments upon writers and works but also literary aestheticconception and some other aspects. A thorough research on these materials hasprofound significance for exploring the literary theories and thoughts of Wei-Jin.Based on the text of Shi Shuo Xin Yu, this thesis will focus on the literarythoughts tendency and the theory of literary criticism of the period of shi shuo xin yu.In conjunction with the current philosophical thinking, litterateurs’ mental attitudes andcurrent literary criticism circumstances, the following examination deals with theorigin of these thoughts and the manner in which they have been perpetuated. At last,the final goal of revealing the function and significance of Shi Shuo Xin Yu in thedevelopment of Wei-Jin literature is achieved. My analysis is divided into fourchapters:The first chapter introduces and reviews the literary research on Shi Shuo Xin Yuduring the past one hundred years， which will conclude the achievements made byformer critics. Through these retrospective analyses, full appreciation for the value ofShi Shuo Xin Yu’s work is made.In chapter two, we know the characteristics of pursuing “beauty” of Wei-Jinliterary from Shi Shuo Xin Yu. It mainly talks about the characteristics of pursuing“beauty” of the literary form. This chapter serves to highlight the social reasons ofpursuing “beauty” in Wei-Jin literature. At last it will analyze the quality of pursuing“beauty”. From the analyses, we can easily understand that it’s a general tendency forthe litterateurs, especially for the litterateurs of Nan Dynasty, to emphasize theimportance of aesthetic value of literary works. This is especially evident in theirpursuit of the beauty of language. As for the description of characters, it is not soimportant. The appearance of this phenomenon has great relevance in casual discussion.It is undeniably a product of “people’s awareness” and literature “becoming aware ofitself” in the period of Wei-Jin. Chapter three discusses the pursuit of “simplicity’’ about Wei-Jin’s literary theoriesfrom Shi Shuo Xin Yu. This chapter will primarily analyze two questions: One is toexplore the reasons of the customs for pursuing “simplicity”, after achieving a fullunderstanding of the customs themselves. Through the analysis of Shi Shuo Xin Yu,the main reason of pursuing “simplicity” lies in the appearance of metaphysics. Thephilosophy behind metaphysics is that simplicity controls complexity. Due to the factthat metaphysics is the main content of Wei-Jin discussion, the pursuing of simplicity isof course improved from metaphysics to discussion, and at the same time it influencesall aspects of social life, including literature and art and literature theories.A secondfunction of this chapter is to focus on Wen Xin Diao Long and to discuss how thecustoms of pursuing “simplicity” have influenced literary theories.Chapter four will focus on the pursuit of "change" in Wei-Jin’s literatureaccording to the view of Shi Shuo Xin Yu. According to the interpretation of ShiShuo Xin Yu’s material in this chapter, it is revealed that the re-arrangement from thesocial upheaval spread to the ideological field in Wei and Jin, and the decline of thegreat unified regime create possibility for the emancipation of the mind. Afterrecognizing the meaning of existence itself as an independent individual, great respectswere shown to the talented individuals by Wei-Jin intellectuals. This change ofideology has been reflected in the literary field, ultimately emphasizing innovation andchange from creative practice to the summary of theory. Thus, the works and analysisof Shi shuo xin yu has functioned to bring a new outlook for literature.