Overview
The literature in the early Tang Dynasty was mainly poetry, but the literature in the middle and late Tang Dynasty developed in many aspects. In addition to the more complex and diverse styles of poetry, the ancient prose movement won in this period, and legendary novels also developed into a heyday. Popular folk literature, such as Bianwen, has also developed greatly, and words born from the folk have gradually transferred to the hands of literati to become new forms of poetry.
1. Prose
The victory of the ancient prose movement is also a great achievement in the development of literature in the middle Tang Dynasty. The situation in which parallel prose ruled the literary world in the Six Dynasties, although it was opposed by Li E and Wang Tong in the Sui Dynasty and Chen Ziang, Li Hua and Xiao Yingshi in the early Tang Dynasty, has rarely changed. By the mid-Tang Dynasty, due to the development of social contradictions, the struggle of political thought became more and more acute, and parallel prose could no longer meet this requirement. Han Yu first launched a movement to revive Confucianism, imagining that by strengthening the rule of Confucianism, he would curb the popularity of Buddhism and Taoism, strengthen centralization, and change the separatist situation in the buffer regions. In the article, he also opposed the style of writing of the six dynasties, and advocated restoring the prose tradition of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. Although his political ideas were supported by some people, they did not succeed.
2. Legends of the Tang Dynasty
tang legends's novels originated from the Six Dynasties. There are not many legends in the early Tang Dynasty, and there is also a strong influence of the Six Dynasties. In the middle Tang Dynasty, the number of writers increased and the creation reached its peak. Due to the prosperity of the city and the complexity of social life, the works also show more social real life, and the color of the strange gradually fades. The literati's dream of fame and wealth, the love between literati and prostitutes have become new themes, and some works also reveal a strong atmosphere of civic life. The plot is delicate and delicate, and the characters are vivid and distinct, which also greatly exceeds the early Tang Dynasty. This is a sign that Chinese short stories have reached maturity.
3. Bianwen
Because the emperors in the Tang Dynasty advocated Buddhism, it was quite popular to tell and sing Buddhist stories in temples at that time, so Bianwen came into being. Later, there was a variant that talked about historical stories and current events. This kind of talking and singing literature existed in the early prosperous Tang Dynasty, and it was more popular in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. In addition to the combination of singing and speaking, there are also lyrics that only sing but don't speak, and scripts that only speak and don't sing.
4. Ci
In the Tang Dynasty, when the city was prosperous, the music was developed, and there were a large number of sister houses in Gelou, there appeared lyrics that matched the songs of "Okoyi Lane". Most of the existing Dunhuang Quzi words are folk words sung by geisha in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. The content is quite extensive, including the bitterness of prostitutes in singing houses and the pain of thinking of women. Literati Ci began to appear in the middle Tang Dynasty. In the late Tang Dynasty, the literati ci, represented by Wen Tingyun, was erotic in content and had little achievement, but it was original in art and had far-reaching influence.