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On the Superseding of the Human Body by Heavenly Bodies – A Discussion of Yu Kwang-chung’s Poetics of the Body

  • The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
  • Abbr : JSLCKC
  • 2008, (16), pp.39-58
  • DOI : 10.16874/jslckc.2008..16.003
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Published : May 31, 2008

蕭蕭 1

1

Candidate

ABSTRACT

Given the three entities of “body, heart and soul”, poets in general would explore the “heart” and “soul” energies more, and body images less as they tend to think that the former would bring about the power of ascension, while a quest along the line of bodily images would bring about sinking and degradation due to the turbidity. When describing Man, poets prefer to depict in lyrical detail the intangible “spirit”, “energy” and “mind” over the more physically tangible limbs, trunks, internal organs, bones and sinews, blood and breath, and pulse and ligaments. By studying the body imagery in Yu Kwang-chung’s poems, this article attempts to explore his cultural and ideological outlook and takes an analytical look at his choices:when human and heavenly bodies come into contact, does he choose conflict or integration? When objects and bodies confront one another, does he choose co-existence or superseding of one over the other? And how does he resolve the question of beauty and ugliness of the body? Lastly, it will touch on the issue of possible transcendence of the body, and a cultural weighting of the intangible and the tangible.

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