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Abstract The “Wugong Style” is a significant genre in the poetry circles of the Late Tang Dynasty, which can be attributed to the tradition of “reclusive official” poetry or regarded as a form of “leisurely poetry”. Since the Song Dynasty, the joint reference to “Yao Jia” has, to some extent, obscured the unique poetic form and cultural connotations of the “Wugong Style” under the broad backdrop of the “arduous chanting” poetics.
In fact, Yao He’s “Wugong Style” is a product of the prevailing sentiment among the elite literati, represented by the Jinshi group, who looked down upon minor officials as common clerks during the Middle and Late Tang Dynasty. The demeanor of lazy, negligence and seclusion presented in this style takes the free-spirited ethos of the Wei and Jin Dynasties’ celebrities as its spiritual core. This attitude of a celebrity is less of a true portrayal of Yao He himself and more of an ideal aesthetic personality that stands in contrast to the personality of a “vulgar clerk”. It is in this sense that the “Wugong Style” returns to the essence of the “reclusive official” tradition.
Beyond the celebrity demeanor, the evolution of the “Wugong Style” is also reflected in the prominence of the “chanting poetry” element and poet as the subject. This prominence corresponds to the increasing popularity of poetry and poetic prose in the Jinshi examinations, with poetry serving as the connecting link. The image of the “worldly official” is thus refined, and the “chanting poetry” element becomes one of the significant characteristics of the “Wugong Style”. The interactions with Jia Dao, who represents the arduous chanting school, reveal similarities between the poetry of Yao and Jia in terms of indulgence in poetry, spiritual interests, and even artistic style, which is why they are jointly referred to as “Yao Jia”.
In terms of creative methods, it follows the celebrities’ approach of “casually playing a tune”, using simple and straightforward language, sometimes interspersed with colloquial expressions, thus presenting a style distinct from Jia Dao’s school known as “sparse and wild”. This style, which is inherited from the thatched cottage poetry tradition and intertwined with the contemporary ethos, serves to correct the excessive rigidity of the Tang people’s modernist forms, especially the “arduous chanting” school. This is also where the poetic and historical significance of the “Wugong Style” lies.
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Published: 08 October 2024
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