A Study Of Lu You’s Self-mockery Poetry

Self-mockery poetry,as a kind of literary genre with a profound origin in the history of Chinese classical literature,has its unique background and cultural significance.In his life,Lu You wrote many self-mockery poems,many of which reflect the poet’s deep worry,lofty patriotic feelings and his unique life awareness.Self-mockery poetry in the field of Chinese classical poetry has formed a clear vertical development pedigree in the process of its maturity.Its origin lies in the banter,especially the sense of self-mockery in The Book of Songs,Zuo Zhuan and works of various schools of thought in the Pre-Qin Period.The prosperity of mocking rhyme-prose with a strong sense of self-mockery,and ridicule poems in the Han,Wei and Six Dynasties provided direct learning object and genre paradigm for the rise of self-mockery poetry.Under the comprehensive influence of politics,economy,culture and religion,self-mockery poetry was fully mature and prosperous in the Tang and Song Dynasties,thus gradually formed four classic themes:poverty,old age and ugliness,and unrealized ideals.The ideological meaning of Lu You’s self-mockery poetry is influenced by the themes of the Tang and Song self-mockery poetry.His self-mockery poetry focuses on the self-mockery of poverty,old age and disease,the self-lament of haughtiness,laziness and pedantry,and the self-satire of the obsession with success,etc.Lu You,a great poet in the Song Dynasty,created a large amount of outstanding self-mockery poems,quite a few of which revealed the poet’s ingenuity,showed unique features which were different from other poets,and promoted the new change of self-mockery poetry and the "spiral" return of some traditions.The new change and the return are reflected not only in the exquisite and appropriate rhetorical techniques and the language style of merging elegance and vulgarity,but also in a wide range of life themes,strong emotional pouring and the heroic military image.In addition to inheriting the mockery tradition of his predecessors,Lu You’s self-mockery poetry creation is closely related to the ups and downs of the creator’s political status,the political system of the Song Dynasty,religious culture,and trends of social thoughts especially the fashion of intellectuals.Among the above factors,the prevailing trend of banter at that time,the religious thought of integrating the three religions,and his life experience of ousting and idleness constitute the main creative background of Lu You’s self-mockery poetry.