| Abstract |
Han-Yu’s criticism on corny articles could be discussed in terms of two genres: the corny articles of imperial examination and the social corny articles. Han-Yu had been opposed to the corny articles of imperial examination throughout his life since he failed the shih exam, whereas he initially held a rather indifferent attitude toward it. He disliked the corny articles of imperial examination because of its overemphasis on the form and preciosity of the content; additionally, the examinees were refrained from expressing themselves bluntly, and there was a lack of clear and consistent requirements as to the matriculation. Faced with the prevailing parallel prose then, Han-Yu despised the overly elaborate literature, which was virtually contradictory to his creed. While young, Han-Yu was ashamed to write in parallel prose, but he later wrote in the “Letter of Gratitude by Ch’ao-Chou Prefect” that he was willing to extol Tang Xianzong in social corny prose. It was indeed a dramatic turn in his life. However, considering the long-run negative and corruptive effects of the two types of corny articles on people, Han-Yu restored his disgust with corny articles at length. |
