Abstract

This study consists of ten chapters. The Introduction deals with the compilation of Pai Chu-i's Collected Works and the textual traditions. Chapter 1 gives an overall picture of the middle-T'ang political and cultural situations. The poet's family background is discussed in Chapter 2. In this chapter the view that Pai's parents were non-Chinese is challenged, resulting in a revision of earlier speculations which attempted to link this assumption to the political stand of the poet. The main concern of Chapters 3 through 6 is how the Pai's personal philosophy and political vicissitudes influenced his decisions on whether to take a more active role in politics in order to "save the world" or to withdraw and be contented with "self-preservation." Although his priorities seemed to have shifted from chien-chi to tu-shan over the course of his life, the change was only a reflection of his reassessments of the political situations and did not signify a fundamental change in his philosophy. That philosophy took into account changes in time and circumstances and prescribed different modes of behaviors, all within the confines of his concept of Tao. Chapters 7 through 9 examine the poet's theory of literature and the influence of that theory, as well as his political ups and downs, on the style and technique of his writings. Again, the dichotomy of chien-chi and tu-shan plays a central role. In Pai's theory, the writing of poems that serve social and political purposes, rather than verses on personal life and sentiments, should be a poet's goal. Focusing on this aspect of Pai's theory, many scholars argue that the poet "deviated" from his own theory because he stopped writing "poems of remonstrance" after his demotion in 815. However, this "deviation" is more apparent than real. Besides the high value given to "poems of remonstrance," Pai's theory of literature is closely related to his life philosophy. It is the poet's conviction that his "poems of remonstrance" manifested his aspirations to "save the world." He also believed that his "poems of leisure" were expressions of his desire for "self-preservation." Therefore, it is in accordance with Pai's theory that as his official positions changed and his life priorities shifted, he wrote exclusively personal poems. A synopsis of the Pai's philosophy is provided in the Conclusion