“The Changed and the Unchanged”: Self-patterns in Qu Yuan’s Works
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Chuang, Meng-Jung
Abstract
This thesis argues that there is an antithetical quality in the “structure of feeling” of Qu Yuan’ works, and the multiple subjects in his works, including conflicting emotions, dilemmatic situations and the melancholy of withering away are all symbols of this quality. He Yi-Sun once described the spirit of Li Sao (“Encountering Sorrow”) as “the changed and the unchanged”, and if we could extend its meaning so as to form a theory or interpretation, the same spirit might also has the potential to be the foundation of Qu Yuan’ works as a whole. This thesis thus puts different works like Li Sao, Jiu Ge (“Nine Songs”), Tian Wen (“Heavenly Questions”) in stages which vary from subjectivity to objectivity, regarding them as different patterns of “self” in each stage, so as to illustrate the changes and connections between self-patterns in Qu Yuan’ works.
When in autobiographical poems like Li Sao and Jiu Zhang (“Nine Pieces”), the collapse or objectification of self is at its beginning. This objectification of self might appear as “time”, “sorrow” or “body” as they were mentioned by Chen Shi-Xiang, Xu You-Fang or Liao Dong-liang, but no matter how it appears, it is unintelligible to the self, and thus bring about the splitting of the self and the beginning of meaning-making. While the self undergoes its split or objectification, this chapter will then explore the “pathway” metaphors in Li Sao and Jiu Zhang by means of contemporary theory of metaphor, in the attempt to disclose how the diverse metaphorical situations could associate with the same self.
The ritualistic or dramatic forms in Jiu Ge force the self to touch upon something beyond itself, and therefore make it become more objective. In this stage, the convergence of personas of gods, ritualistic details and lyrical expressions replace the original autobiographical style of the self. This chapter will explore the further split or objectification of the self, including issues like how these changes create the unique expression of Jiu Ge, and how the self could still connect with its passed pattern after these changes.
The objectification of self is at the summit in Tian Wen. The extreme quest toward an objective world as a whole takes the self far away from its own subjectivity, and thus produces all the transient fragments in Tian Wen. Under the pressure of the extreme objectivity and a universe which is ever expanding, the self has to face its limits and becomes more and more perceptual. Until at last, it perceives the universe, the myths, the history and the fate of itself in a manner which is totally different than before.
After considering the “self” of Qu Yuan’ works in different stages, exploring the relation between them, this thesis goes on to develop ideas which were already established. Comparing to the structure containing Li Sao, Jiu Zhang, Jiu Ge and Tian Wen, Yuan You (“Far-off Journey”) and Zhao Hun (“Summons of the soul”) both are very different representations of subjectivity. While the former makes the subject escape completely from the world by ideas of Xien (the immortals), the latter forms a world which is completely empty of the subject. Due to their extreme representations of subjectivity, neither of them have the antithetical quality which is the ground of Li Sao, Jiu Zhang, Jiu Ge and Tian Wen. However, through the effort of interpreters who try to establish a link between Qu Yuan and these two works, we will discover again that how the antithetical quality in the “structure of feeling” as well as the objectification of self both serve as key elements when it comes to Qu Yuan’s works.
Subjects
Qu Yuan
self
structure of feeling
the objectification of self
“the changed and the unchanged”
SDGs
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-101-R97121014-1.pdf
Size
23.54 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):8d9b79618d4331af7d4a0813b31dc56a