“Poetry Expresses Individual Intent”:A New Study On Chen Yan's Poetics

“Poetry expresses intent”(???)is an ancient poetic proposition related to the nature and function of poetry.Chen Yan proposed that“Poetry expresses individual intent”(????),which makes a new interpretation to this ancient proposition.Chen Yan's point of view can be interpreted from two aspects.In terms of poetry's functions,Chen Yan places great emphasis on its expression of personal emotions,and he holds that poetry is of no necessity to undertake the political education function.As for the content of poetry,Chen insists that poets should express their own intent by using their own words,which can lead to the innovation of poetry.“Poetry expresses individual intent”puts emphasis on poet's subjectivity as well as poetic ontology and non-utility.This view is not original or special in itself,and similar views can be found in the long history of poetics,such as the Gongan School's“Xingling Theory”,but it may have new special meanings in the new era background and complex cultural context.Chen Yan reinterprets the proposition of“Poetry expresses intent”,which may have its pertinence in reality.I intend to discuss Chen Yan's reinterpretation from three perspectives:empirical research,theoretical analysis and creational practice.In empirical part,I will give a detailed interpretation about Chen's obvious transition from politics to literature both in his career and literati circle.His alienation from politics and the recognition of literature itself are the demonstrations of“Poetry expresses individual intent”on the empirical level.In theoretical part,I will discuss how Chen Yan specifically explains his ideas in his poetic theory through“Transmutation of Feng and Ya”(????)and“New philosophy and marginal language”(???????).Chen Yan makes a new interpretation of“Transmutation of Feng and Ya”,and stops requesting the poems in troubled times to be subtle and euphemistic,or achieving the political purposes.He also proposes a new concept“New philosophy and marginal language”,and argues that poets should write their own unique feelings with their personal and original discourses.In practical part,I will focus on Chen's poems on paintings and nature.In the poems on paintings related to the topic of loyalism,Chen Yan avoids to discuss about the personal qualities of the adherents,and pay little attention to their political participation in the new dynasty.He doesn't show his recognition of the loyalty of the adherents or their behaviors of evasion from the world or seeking death to save their reputation and integrity.Different from most of the literati who experienced two dynasties in the previous dynasties,Chen Yan did not put the Confucian moral and ethical concerns in his poems on nature in the turbulent times.Chen Yan neglects the functions of Confucian moral and ethical concerns in poetry writing,and pays great attention to his personal emotions,which can be the practice of“Poetry expresses individual intent”in his literary creation level.Finally,this dissertation explores the deep connotation of “Poetry expresses individual intent”.From the perspective of poets,the “shi”(?)sense of identity has weakened,or the political,moral and ethical functions emphasized by traditional poetics have been neglected tosome extent.From the perspective of poetry,the original functions of classical poetry are no longer universally recognized.Poetry turns to concern poets' own feelings and their intrinsic emotions,so as to prove its enduring value.“Poetry expresses individual intent” is not only the introspection of classical poetics,but also its adaptation and integration to the ideological trend of literature in the new era.