Research On Ji Prose In The Northern Song Dynasty

The Ji prose is an important ancient literary style, whose basic feature is the narrative style, initially peaked in the Tang Dynasty. Not only in the number was the Ji prose in Northern Song Dynasty period far more than that in the Tang Dynasty, but also it broke the original specification. The most notable change is in the technique of expression, which is often integrated into other styles of writing, therefore, a brand new writing style called "an innovational narration article from the original form" has become a common phenomenon in the creation of prose in the Northern Song Dynasty period. Innovations of the narration article substantially completed in the Northern Song Dynasty, and has made great achievements in art. The Ji prose in the Southern Song Dynasty and the later period mostly carried on the Northern Song Dynasty paradigm.The first chapter discusses the origin of Ji prose and its development before the Northern Song Dynasty. The Ji prose came from the narrative writing of history, and had sporadic creation before the Tang Dynasty. However, since the number of the works is rather small, the master pieces of literary theories and general collections of articles of the Wei and Jin Dynasties as well as the Northern and Southern Dynasties period did not mention it."The narration of things and figures"(shu ji) proposed by Liu Xie actually covers all types of application documents to record things and expression of feelings. People at that time only focused on its broad connotation and did not form the consciousness of regarding it as a formal writing style. Not until the Tang Dynasty did the Ji prose become actually independent and come into the prosperity of creation and mature of style. People in the Tang Dynasty have strong consciousness to record objective narration and description based on object when they write narration articles. Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan as the representatives of literary masters in the Tang Dynasty opened up the contents and methods of Ji, emphasizing new factors like discussions and expression of feelings in the text, have become a great model for future generations, and promote the innovation of narrative style, and deeply influence the development of the Ji prose in the Northern Song Dynasty and the new change of body. The second chapter is to analyse the development and the new changes of the traditional narrative genre of the Northern Song dynasty. Various types of traditional narrative had new development in the Northern Song Dynasty. What is more, the innovations of the Ji prose describing the pavilions, terraces and open halls, painting and calligraphy, as well as hall wall records mostly attract people’s attention. Such a new kind of wring pattern in the Northern Song Dynasty is different from that in the Tang Dynasty which mainly focuses on observing objects, it is mainly used to express the author’s mood. Many such Ji proses argue about the story of name of the pavilions, terraces and open halls, and they also adopt the structure mode of interlocution, absorb the Fu style. The narration of the title in official bureaus in the Northern Song Dynasty comes from the hall wall records in the Tang Dynasty. But it pays more attention to the the persuasive function of the title speaking high of the virtuous and daunting the evil. The title Ji prevails, also affect the development of the hall wall records creation and other types of title Ji. The Ji proses of the Northern Dynasty calligraphy and painting not only inherit the traditional writing mode, but also show its own specialty. Some calligraphy and painting record creation fuse painting and calligraphy inscriptions writing technique, discuss the art of calligraphy and painting, or the people and things related to calligraphy and painting works. It broadens the performance function, and forms a new style of writing pattern.The third chapter explores the explorations of the Ji prose in the Northern Song Dynasty in new areas. On the one hand, the Northern Song Dynasty writers began to create another form of narration involving school in a large amount which the Tang Dynasty writers hardly wrote; on the other hand, they also created the narrative style of writing about academies, collections of books, and formed a model of narrative creations on these themes. The three kinds of narration articles above are similar to the traditional one in content, they were not focused on the objective narration and description of the object itself but on its function. Because the objects discussed are closely related to culture and education, the main purpose is to encourage learning. The technique of expression is often combined with narration and discussion, as is often the case, discussion plays the leading role. And compared with the traditional theme of narration, there is more use of contrast, textual research, the code and other artistic techniques, showing a strong academic nature.Finally, the Ji prose in Northern Song Dynasty developed in various types of traditional narration. For example, it is not just focused on the objects but refers to something with further meaning from the angle of content; and in the respect of form it mainly employs the methods of reasoning and arguing instead of narrating with the use of contrast, textual research, code and other artistic techniques. Factors affecting the narrative style are:the social and cultural environment and the literati’s standpoint of attaching importance to argumentum and knowledge, the deepened understanding of the stylistic function, the specific creation situation of the narration article and the characteristics of the object itself, as well as individual writers’consciousness to update the stylistic pattern. During the development of the Ji prose in the Northern Song Dynasty, an innovational Ji prose from the original form provides a new way of writing, it has been accepted on a large scale in the actual creation, and has become a kind of new development of Ji prose which casts off its old self and takes on a new self.