A Study On The Relationship Between Li Zhi's Literary Creation Theory And His Literary Practic

The theory of literary creation,built by Li Zhi who is a renowned philosopher and art critic in the Ming dynasty,includes three parts as whole.Firstly,a variety of important academic problems in literature creation were discussed by him in his some particular proses and essays,whereby he provided some general opinions.For example,he advocated that “childlike innocence” should be the core and premise of literary creation.He argued that the writers should create with a sincere attitude which retains honesty and abandons hypocrisy,meanwhile they should be triggered by their full of emotions to create and keep a way of “no enough emotions,don’t create”.Secondly,he did a lot of works on critiquing those popular literary works at that time,mainly fictions and operas,which includes his ideas and thoughts about literature,especially for the creating part of that significant subject.This part has lots of contents which is the main part of his creation theory.Basing on this section,he advocated three perspectives.One is that the writers should create basing on his own experience.Besides,the narrative of story should be natural and not create story on fake emotion.The theory of “Hua Gong”,a Chinese traditional aesthetic theory,means a purely natural status and seemingly does not have any artificial elements for art works.He advocated this natural status should be the criterion of all art works.Finally,he argued that those art works like fictions and operas also can educate people to develop themselves to be good members by aesthetics as the same function of Confucianism literary theory,namely expressing feelings,observing social problems,enhancing national cohesion and complaining inequalities.Thirdly,he also gave some advice on how to write those essays for debating,such as the way of “occupying opponents’ castle”——destroying opponents’ opinions trough finding out the controversies of their arguments.Nevertheless,this part seems like excluded comparing with his whole system,while he really created a lot of essays in this particular way.Consequently,those essays all have a very specific utilitarian end.Li Zhi had a dialectical perspective on utilitarian aspect of literary creation,whereas it intensified the complicated relationship between his literary creation theory and his literary practices.Those poems,Li Zhi created after 56 years old,are the main proportion of his all poetry works and most of them could break through the formal constrains of metrical poems allowing them freedom and unique.Therefore,his poems were labeled by three features,namely be easier understandable,relatively ignoring metrical rules and strengthening feelings but depressing image.Basically,Li Zhi’s poems almost practiced his literary creation theory and they can express his emotions,keep natural quality and follow his rule of full emotions.The essay practicing of Li Zhi was multitudinous but complex.On the one hand,some of practices could respond to his theory.On the other hand,some of them might be controversial with his theory.A special language or called discourse which those common residents often use in their daily life were advocated vigorously by him,whereby his essay practicing also followed this rule.Likewise they are easier understandable.However,his essay practicing usually had certain and specific utilitarian end conflicted with his criterion of creation and aesthetics in which the art works should keep real and natural.Therefore,the utilitarian purpose of his essay practicing was the main cause of the complicated relationship between his essay practicing and his literary theory.The relationship between his literary creation theory and his literary practice was decided essentially by his subjectivity and all of his social behaviors,mainly literary creation activities.Because his ideology and social practice were both involved totally in the historical context.Consequently,Li Zhi has a ambiguous opinion on the aspect of literary stylistics.Furthermore,this sort of relative traditional idea about stylistics and radical opinion about literary creation are easily contradicted.Moreover all of literary creation activities must have the utilitarian nature because it is a part of social practice.As a result,his general literary works which more or less has a utilitarian end could not practice extremely his literary creation theory.