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A Study of Male Homosexuality Poetry in 『Yutai Xinyong』

  • The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
  • Abbr : JSLCKC
  • 2019, (51), pp.59-88
  • DOI : 10.16874/jslckc.2019..51.003
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : January 10, 2019
  • Accepted : February 20, 2019
  • Published : February 28, 2019

Kwon, Hyek-seok 1

1한국교통대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

『Yutai Xinyong』 is the first poetry anthology except Shijing and Chuci. Erotic poems about female, which represent the trend of aestheticism in Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, are included in the book. Among them, some of poems are about male homosexuality in Liang dynasty. It shows us that in Liang dynasty male homosexuality is as common as heterosexuality at least in royalty and gentry class. It signifies not only growing trend of male homosexuality in Liang dynasty, but also that male sexuality which had been ambiguous reached the level of Literati Poetry. There are some characteristics about ancient Chinese male homosexuality from 『Yutai Xinyong』. First of all, there is the inequality of social class between the enjoyer and the provider who offers the pleasure and it is usually one direction only. Therefore, most of the poems rather praised beauty of youth, than expressed affection. Secondly, the poems allows us to assume the enjoyer were bisexual. This is because that their background also gave the royalty and gentry class man the opportunity of having harem or concubine or prostitute. Thirdly, male homosexuality had not been taboo as a literature in the period. It rather means praise of male homosexuality that the presence of it in Literati Poetry. It is because that the enjoyer used to be royalty or gentry class from the scratch. Therefore, homosexuality was free from blames in a feudal society. Above all, the most important factor is related to the aesthetic trend led by Xiao Gang. He said that poetry were free from the virtue ethics and it has to be created as what they want. He completed the independence of literature which had been started from Cao Pi. In this background, he and the so-called palace poets could write those poems about male homosexuality. Through their poetry, they achieved their aesthetic concepts of literature.

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