Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2015, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (1): 130-138.

• Classical Literary Theory and Criticism • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Between Heaven and Human: On the Idea of Heaven and the Transformation of Poetry in the Mid-Tang Dynasty

Liu Shun   

  1. the School of Literature, Lanzhou University (Lanzhou 730000, China)
  • Online:2015-01-25 Published:2015-04-04
  • About author:Liu Shun, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Literature, Lanzhou University (Lanzhou 730000, China), a post-doctor fellow at Anhui Normal University, with research focus on Chinese thought and literature.

Abstract: The relationship between the Heaven and man is a central issue in the transformation of Confucianism in the Mid-Tang period. The discourses on the Heaven by Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi help to promote the transformation of Confucianism and also greatly influence the transformation in literary creation. The differences in the poetry and prose between the three authors may also be interpreted from the perspective of the difference between their perceptions of the Heaven. The changes in the relationship between the Heaven and man lead to the broadened themes, innovated vocabulary, diversified styles and varied fresh imageries. Likewise, the relationship between the Heaven and man established in the Song Dynasty leads accordingly to a new type of literature different from the Tang literature.

Key words: the discourse on the Heaven, intellectual transformation, transformation in creative writing, the relationship between the Heaven and man