A Study Of Cat Related Literature In The Song Dynasty

The trend of raising cats in the Song Dynasty was more prevalent than before,and people then sought new changes in literature,with a large amount of daily life content entering the writing category.As a result,the number of cat related literature,especially cat related poetry,increased significantly,covering a wider range of types.The most common depiction of cats as draft animals is still found in cat related poetry and literature.In this type of poetry,many poems about hiring cats have emerged one after another,documenting the process of hiring cats at that time,the gifts that needed to be prepared,and the folk customs of the gender and variety of cats.It is an important document for studying the social history of the Song Dynasty and a special witness to the mutual rewards and answers between literati and their neighbors.When describing begging for cats or simply singing about cats,writers often praise cats for their bravery in catching mice and their ability to protect food,and often praise them for their military achievements.What is particularly distinctive of literati is that these poems often depict the detestable nature of the Rat Defeat Book and the merit of the Cat Protector Book.In addition,cat and mouse related content can also set off the owner’s poverty or set off a gloomy atmosphere,expressing the author’s feelings of sadness and sadness.At the same time,the Song Dynasty began to see many pet cats that did not engage in rat hunting.Correspondingly,literati not only regarded cats as a tool for catching mice,but also regarded them as their spiritual comfort.They either directly praise the companionship of cats in poetry,or describe their daily behavior and communication with humans to express their love.For example,cats share blankets with their owners during cold winter or late nights,and play and interact with children;Cats lazily rest at noon or under flowers,drunk with mint,catching birds and butterflies;Cats do not eat mice,but instead act coquettishly towards their owners and enjoy rich fish meals.All of these demonstrate the literati’s love for cats and their love for cats.With the increase of cat related poetry and the literary accumulation of allusions and popular sayings from various dynasties,some of the imagery connotations of cats have gradually become fixed.Writers use cats to express their pastoral life and leisurely daily corners,or to express their unrestrained and longing for seclusion.Secondly,from the pre Qin period to the Song Dynasty,there were many allusions,political theories,popular sayings,and legends related to cats that attracted the attention of scholars and were written in poetry.Thirdly,the failure of cats to catch mice became a symbol of cat incompetence in the Southern Song Dynasty,and the image combination of "cat and butterfly" took shape.Through this,writers used it to satirize politics,ridicule officials who were sitting on the ground without food,and extend content such as cat inhumanity.In addition,there were other cat related poems and essays in the Song Dynasty aimed at metaphors,with a wide range of themes and diverse meanings.Looking at the poetry and prose related to cats in the Song Dynasty,many artistic techniques were used by literati in the creative process.Among them,just describing the appearance of cats has various vivid expressions,and content such as cat catching mice is metaphorically used to describe various things.In addition,due to the connection between cats and bamboo,Maotousun,Maoerjing,etc.are named after cats.When discussing related things,literati also associate them with real cats and skillfully use rhetorical devices such as comparison and confrontation.Overall,the literary value of cat related poetry and literature in the Song Dynasty is relatively high,which is of great significance for observing the life of Song people and can also to some extent showcase certain aspects of the evolution of Song Dynasty literature.