Hubei Normal University College of Literature
Mao Heng (male) of Lu and Xiaka (male) of Zhao were handed down from generation to generation, called "Mao Poems", which flourished in the late Han Dynasty. Preface to Mao Poetry was written in the Western Han Dynasty. However, Confucius had already compiled The Book of Songs. It can be said that The Book of Songs embodies Confucius' thought as a great scholar, and Preface to Mao's Poems, as a literary work, is also deeply influenced by it and is the product of Confucianism.
First of all, let's put aside the specific viewpoints and contents of Preface to Shi Mao and only look at the Confucian literary view. First, Confucian poetics based on morality. This is in the Analects of Confucius, "Confucius said: 300 poems, in a word, saying: thinking innocently." You can get a glimpse of it. The so-called "naive thinking" is "pure thinking". In Confucius' view, no matter what you write, 300 poems have reached the standard of pure thinking and can become a model of people's ethical and moral cultivation. All these reflect the social educational function of poetry, that is, Confucius believes that literature should have educational function. Second, Confucian personality ideal and poetic pursuit. As mentioned above, it is not satisfactory to limit Confucianism to "political enlightenment" and say that Confucianism only uses literature as a tool to implement "literary ambition". Under the rigid feudal literary thought, the emergence of excellent and beautiful works is related to the poetic side extended by Confucianism with "benevolence" as its core thought. Confucius put forward that "quality is better than literature, and literature is better than quality." Gentle, then a gentleman. "In Xuan Ying, Yang Xiong first proposed to turn the problem of" literary ambition "into an article writing problem." The quality of words depends on their quality, and the quality of words depends on their feelings. " "Yang Xiong's point of view, of course, draws lessons from Confucius' gentleness, but does this lack of reference and creation reflect the guiding role of Confucianism in China literature?
Confucianism wants to "teach poetry" and "teach music", of course, it should serve the society and politics with literature and art, and at the same time, it also emphasizes "literature carries Tao". His literary concept pays attention to social utility, but also emphasizes artistry and entertainment, which urges China literati to exert their artistic talents, thus creating a brilliant chapter in China literature.
Obviously, "Preface to Shi Mao" came into being under this kind of thought, and the part that caters to Confucius' thought of human relations will not be discussed for the time being. First of all, the preface to Mao's poems highlights the social and political enlightenment of poetry, which has been discussed by many representatives of Confucianism. For example, Confucius put forward the theory of "prosperity, outlook, group and resentment", emphasizing that "your father is a distant matter", and poetry plays a very important role in people and society. The Preface to Mao's Poems gives full play to the social and political education function of poetry, pointing out that poetry can be "filial to couples, kind to others, beautiful in education, and changing customs." Promote the harmony of various interpersonal relationships and the improvement of social atmosphere. At the same time, it also emphasizes that poetry can play the role of "beauty" and "stab", and coordinate the relationship between rulers and people with "upper weathering and lower stab". As for the poem "The Wind Sting", I especially put forward "the remonstrance of the main text", that is, the remonstrance is tactfully and implicitly with harmonious and beautiful tunes. This highlights the social education function of Confucianism on China literature. As a result, Hu Lancheng also mentioned in "The Years of Mountains and Rivers" that "the mountains, rivers, vegetation and cities in" Erjing Fu "have earthly beauty, which is understandable; I can be a slut. There are fish roads and shrimp roads in the world. This is a group. " Even though literature plays the greatest role under the guidance of literati thought.
The "place of ambition" and "chanting temperament" can better reflect the artistry and entertainment emphasized by Confucianism, which is not only an important point to understand and deepen the essence of poetry, but also an important point to guide the development of China literature. All excellent articles are "aspirations" and "chanting temperament". Taking Sima Qian's "indignation" as a typical example, he expressed his ambition and unwilling feelings, so Historical Records has a long history. This is a guide to the essence of literature, and "stop at propriety and righteousness" is a norm and requirement of Confucianism, which was put forward again in Preface to Shi Mao, which also set a benchmark for the development of literature. A gentleman can't do unjust things, write unjust articles or preach unjust theories. Therefore, a scholar with high moral integrity enriches China literature.
In a word, The Preface to Mao's Poems fully embodies the idea that Confucian literature should carry Tao, and embodies the role of Confucianism in educating China literature, regulating and demanding literature and guiding the essence of literature.
Bibliography: The Modern Significance of China's Ancient Literary Theory; Tong Qingbing and Ma Zhu; Beijing Normal University Press.
Shi Qian Fa Ping Chongqing Publishing House of The Book of Songs
China Ancient Literary Theory Li Zhuangying Higher Education Press