SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis is the first in-depth research on Yang Weizhen's Iron Style poems on history. It argues that Yang's poems are a product of his life experience, his imitation of other poets' work and his own creativity. Yang's poems are imbued with the poet's complicated personality, his interest in music and drama, and his unique views and feelings about history. It is divided into six chapters, in addition to an introductory chapter on Yang and the research topic itself. Chapter One concentrates on how Yang's political and social background facilitated the emergence of his Iron Style, and investigates the composition dates. Chapter Two explores Yang's Iron Style poems on history in the context of the overall development of poetry on history. Chapter Three looks at different definitions of 'Tie ti' (Iron Style/Form), also "Tieya ti" (Iron Cliff Style/Form). It tries to clarify these confusing definitions and settle the controversy by arguing that 'Tie ti' is a poetic style, the unique style of Yang. Chapter Four explores the main constituents of Yang's Iron Style poetry on history. It shows that in a single poem there is more than one writing style. Chapter Five investigates the presentation techniques used in Yang's Iron Style poetry on history, which again reflect his personality and interests. Chapter Six probes the core and essence of Yang's Iron Style poems on history and reveals how the poet thought. His poetry on history is a reflection of his historical opinions and his philosophy on life.