| Abstract |
This paper employs James J.Y. Liu's Chinese literature interpretative model， modified from M. H. Abrams's literary theory to be better suited for interpreting Chinese literary theory, to re-examining the specific circumstances of the construction, elaboration and transformation of the "Poetry as History" theory in Tang and Song Dynasties. Analysis shows that all four elements of universe, writer, work, and reader concerning various situations of literary and artistic works have been covered in the concise illustration of "Poetry as History" in Ben Shi Shi (Anecdotal Poems). Ben Shi Shi clearly refers to the first three of these four stages of artistic development. The first stage, which deals with the relationship between the world and the writer, is regarded as the most important one. Hence, the importance of "the affairs of the world" of the "Poetry as History" theory is well accepted by later generations. The second stage, which focuses on the relationship between the writer and the work, evolves into an emphasis on "narration". And the third stage, the relationship between the work and the reader, suggests that the "Poetry as History" theory is actually intended to meet the expectations of the reader. Ben Shi Shi contributes to the basic construction of the "Poetry as History" theory. The subsequent profound elaboration and transformation by scholars in Song Dynasty are key for the "Poetry as History" theory to become a basic topic of Chinese classical literary theory. |
