A Study of the Linguistic Art of Liu Erh’s Lao Tsan Yo Chi

• Main Authors: Park Jeong-ae, 朴貞愛
• Other Authors: Chu Sheh-yo
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/80592183707364819571

碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 中國文學研究所 === 94 === Language is the means of expression for literature, just as the Russian writer Maksim Gorky (1868-1936) claimed, “Language is the first element of literature.” Moreover, as a linguistic art in literary creation, language is the exclusive means. Li-wei Ho, a modern Chinese literary critic contended, “A work, once losing its linguistic luster, loses, like a flower, its fragrance, and its aesthetic values is left in doubt.” Here is another similar statement from Yi-to Wen, a modern Chinese literary writer-critic, who said that to write novels is equal to writing language. In some sense, novel writing is de facto an art of using language. Language per se is full of artistic images and whether they are successful or not plays a crucial part in the life of a literary work. One of the representative rebuke novels in late Ching Dynasty, Lao Tsan Yo Chi (literally translated as “The Travelogue of Lao Tsan”) has a well-recognized artistic fame that has won a favorable popularity among its audience. Lu Hsun, in his A Brief History of Chinese Novels, lauded this novel as “having much to appreciate regarding scenery and object delineations.” Hu Shih also made favorable comments by saying that “Lao Tsan Yo Chi is at its best in descriptive techniques and be it in character and scenery depictions, the author never follows the worn-out stereotype but always creates his own language to describe. This makes this novel unparalleled.” Indeed, whether it is in real-life observation, in scenery and object depiction, or in language art exhibition, Lao Tsan Yo Chi has its own innovation and development. There has been considerable research regarding the linguistic art of Lao Tsan Yo Chi. This thesis, however, has made a complete and comprehensive study on this issue. It focuses on not only the familiar aspects of the linguistic art but also those aspects that have been neglected or unexplored, with a view to helping readers better appreciate the linguistic beauty of this novel. This thesis consists of six chapters, chapters three to five being the main parts, as follows: Chapter 1, “Introduction,” includes motivations, purposes, scope and methods of this thesis. Also included in this opening chapters are a review of literature of Lao Tsan Yo Chi and definitions of the term “language art.” Chapter 2 titled, “The Cultural Background of Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines the life of the author Liu Erh, his philosophical thoughts related to the School of Tai-ku and works, and the milieus in which he fostered his creation, so that one can better understand how and why Lao Tsan Yo Chi has been written. Chapter 3, titled “The Techniques of Language Art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” mainly examines both the traditional as well as the creative linguistic characteristics of the novel. The first section of this chapter examines Liu’s innovative linguistic skills in such aspects as coining new forms of characters, using parts of the characters, transforming the parts of speech, and special sentence structures. The second section deals with such linguistic components as the poems, quoted and self-composed, the allusions, dialects, and foreign words, to attest how Liu has effectively employed the Chinese language for both graceful and vulgar purposes. Section 3 discusses the narrative skills that are radically different from the structures in conventional Chinese fiction. Chapter 4, titled “The Characteristics of the Linguistic Art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines some of the dominant linguistic features that exhibit senses of beauty in liveliness, narration, picture-drawing, brevity, and musicality in the novel. Section 1 of this chapter discusses the vividness in character and scenery depictions. Section 2 goes on to discuss the linguistic features of characterization and narration, such as fluency and lucidity, irony, implicit and philosophical language used by the characters, and anecdotal narration conducive to understanding of historical events. Section 3 examines the linguistic attributes exhibited in the novel that are comparable to the picturesque effectiveness. Section 4 examines the terseness and force of the Chinese idioms used. Section 5 examines the linguistic power in the novel that is comparable to listening to a live music or concert. Chapter 5, entitled “The Rhetorical Skills in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines some key rhetorical skills used in the novel to see how they have contributed to the successful expression and contagious power of language in fiction. Section 1 of this chapter examines the repeated sounds that add rhythmic and melodic beauty to the novel. Section 2 examines humor exhibited in the novel. Section 3 examines the uses of figures of speech. Section 4 examines the most equivocal rhetorical skills in literature, symbolism, to scrutinize how the themes and thoughts of Lao Tsan Yo Chi are hinged on this rhetorical strategy. Section 5 examines the rhetorical skill of contrasting which has a fresher and more vivid effect than direct delineation of the objects. Section 6 examines the use of parallelism and how it helps achieve linguistic orderliness and beauty. Section 7 examines homonyms and their implications for understanding the novel of Lao Tsan Yo Chi. Chapter 6, “Conclusion,” sums up all the discussions made in the previous chapters and sections, pinpointing all the characteristics of the linguistic art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi for better appreciation and understanding of this novel.