The term Jian'an literature is explained as follows:
Jian'an literature refers to the literature from Jian'an in the late Han Dynasty to the early Wei Dynasty. The main representative writers are the "Three Caos", namely Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Zhi, and the "Seven Sons of Jian'an", namely Kong Rong, Chen Lin, Wang Can, Xu Qian, Ruan Yu, Ying Yu, Liu Zhen, and the female poet Cai Yan.
Jian'an literature broke the depression of literati poetry in the Han Dynasty, directly inherited the realism spirit of Han Dynasty Yuefu, dared to reflect social unrest and the pain of people's displacement, and reflected the people's desire for national unification and the pursuit of an ideal life. . The style of the work is vigorous, tragic and generous, forming the fine tradition of "Jian'an style".
Creative influence
The most important achievement of Jian'an literature is in poetry. It marked the first peak of literati poetry creation in the history of literature, establishing the firm position of five-character poetry in the literary world. The foundation of the seven-character poem was also laid at this time.
The poems of this period have strong language, passionate emotions, and a generous and sad style. They are highly valued by later generations and are sometimes called "Jian'an style" or "Jian'an style". , "the character of the Han and Wei dynasties". When writers in the past dynasties opposed the formalist style of writing, they often praised Jian'an literature and advocated the style of the Han and Wei dynasties.