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It w1ll be comren1ent to disoU8a Wang' a theory of' ~'t-

1J!etlrst. The two WOrd3 of' the label can to 3~ ext",nt be separated in their ~teronc"'a. Shen h.a. rather .0", to do. with the

~ ..?'

~ri ? e .. ~..!. of p.oetry, or tho fJ~rlence attainAble througn poetry:

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by the poet in his mastery of technique, and by the reader in his ~ginative communion with the poet. Such experience, according to Wang, should rise above the ordinary experience of every day life. In this Wang supplies at once a moral justification for poetry, in the belief ti1at poetry elevates our understanding. Sh~ is thus in one sense a state attained ? I~ has much more to do with the action of language. The theory consist s of the belief that language can be used in such a way in poetry as to reach beyond its ordinary degree of conmunicativeness so that, through the musj.c of words, the creation of a sense which is beyond the semantic, poetry comes to enrich one's understanding and perception of experience in a unique

sort of way.

But the insistence on the elevating effect of poetry can be represented in another manner. Easily one could say that Wang believed in a poetry which was removed from "real" experience; at the same time, relying so much on the extra-semantic resources of language, Wang is, one may argue, advocating a manner of communication which is ultimately vague and possibly \uthout meaningful reference.

Wang's theory has its histcrical explanations. The constant harping on the importance of "intuitive" understanding, the very belief in a kind of meaning wr~ch is too refined for mere words,

point to the inspiration of Ch'an Buddhism. yen Yu X$L1~ of the

13th century, partly influenced by the thinking of Ssu-Kung T'u

Cil ~ ~ (837-908) whose ,~~-p':ha 1+712' describes an autonomous

kind of state for poetry, consciously took over elements from Ch' an Buddhist thinking and suggested that poetry too, stood for a

I'thigherll, Ii terally "extraordinary", kind of experience, a superior kind of understanding attainable only through flashes of intelligence

on the part g of poet and reader alike.

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Byard l.1x'rc th(' criticti . .l thi.nki:i{: of t.ho Mini' l"'l'i

not dominated by ':C1': Yu. 7hc shapine i.nflu(':',cc~ c:>l,nistJ-d of critics

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and poets who oi the:' bel ieV0G in 1"1 :"Ot.urn to "thf' !l.nc tonts tt in tho mamer and aatter 0:' poet::; or hold that poot;:' :.ms chh'fly Ii matter of spontaneous ex;.)~"\"ssion or prof'oun:! t;1Cl('ti OhS. lWf

-tt ' ?. (1 s..%-~6}1) of lat~, lI(inS which h~);Jf' tl :Ht:lo stronttt!t' ruseablance to ?fn,r..{!; !Inri ~1hich attempted to oombine th':lit,ni ty of archai.se ilnd "truth" (~l1e.!l,~, n l'h~\lr'"",r,t Cri~iClll tern) of personal. t"'eelif'.es, failed to strt'~s suff'icientl)~ the :l\!tollO!"'-3 and basically "aystic" origin of pQoJJtry.

'lfar.g arrive.! a:1drestated Yen iu' s views and. in 300le ways, ia?roved upo.~ thC'~1 draring on the theorist:: in beb1ttlCn for suppleaer.tary argucents. For instance the arg"..&:1c t which f1o.r.~? con.sistentl,y advance::;, tha: It::arr.ir ? c; occupies !l centnll j'H)si t10rl h; the "'tri. tir'8

of pCh:t,ry, can M-rtiJ,y be traced badt to Ye r; 'iUj 31.::;i10.r1./ 11m 'Ir~1uld nevcer have er.ICoura~:;; the ?reo US?' of all\.LSi or;;' and tjC0Grarhical ret"erences.

I?".

"'."

er.erc.Y he,,; heen dlr..y;;' chicf1.y at an atte;npt ? divill,' tht, poetry

into perlo"::! f'~~ tt.en to SUfzest the ::rain ":u.alitic:J H.ecOV'onblo.

I propose periods for the poetry: (1) before 16GO, U) 1660-

170., and (3) ; 7('4 to tho ?. md of 'ilW1.6' 5 lif'3.

"soclcl" for

have an explanation in his own development as poeto

In the second period a recognisable personal style is developed. It is also in this middle period that the ~eE-~~ theory is proper~ formulated. At its best the poet~ of this period suggests the very subtlety of change in moods of nature, conveyed in a sensitive verse which marries matter and manner together. Some specimens from this period admittecUs tend to be excessively refined and self-conscious, degenerating into mere "camp", if that contemporary jargon is allowed. But the controlled and purposeful use of images is always there.

Wang's third period is not so strong. There are too many occasional pieces ,v.ritten as a result of the obligations of polite society. But the prolificness of verses produced remains to be wondered at.

Wang's poet:F.f of all periods has a detachment, a serenity which is not often to be i'ound elsewhere. One may say that Wang touches too li~tly, too briefly on 'GOO much, failing to achieve depth of feeling. There is indeed no sorrow or pain. There is no vision of life of the kind one discovers in Wang W'ei .1. f:j. (699-759), Meng Hao-jan}i ~~ ~k (689-740) and other poet s equally drawn to Buddhist thinking. But the very rarefied atmosphere of the poetry must have a permanent value.

Having described both Wang's poetry and his criticism it remains for me to suggest his importance by pointing out his influence on those who come after him. I suggest, in this thesis, that YUan 1lei t;f.!z. (1716-1797), perhaps the rival poet/critic of the Ch'ing period, can be shown to share Wang's rejection of any

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"logical explanation" of the genesis of poetry. At moments, Yuan suggests the importance of language markedly different from that

of everyd~ usage. There is another influential critic of the Ch'ing period, Weng Fang-kang 1f-h-f:lliI1 (1733-1818) who admired Wang, wrote commerrtaries on Wang's writings, assembled Wang's essential arguments and produced important studies of the ~h~n~jT~ theory. And finally even Wang Kuo-wei ~ l~ ~ft ( 1877-1927), inheritor of the Chinese tradition as well as subtle borrower from the West, can be seen, in his suggestion that poetry should enable man to become at one with "Heaven-and-Earth", to embrace the spirit of Wang Shih-chen.

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