Sounds of Urban Life: Fan Chengda’s New Exploration of Sound Description in Poetry

Abstract

The existing research of literature on sound description in classical Chinese poetry has predominantly centered around Tang poetry and its lyrical aesthetics, with a particular focus on recurring typified images such as “the call of the cuckoo,” “the howl of the ape,” “the toll of the bell,” and “the pitter-patter of the night rain.” The research paradigm has been somewhat one-dimensional. This paper examines the poems of Fan Chengda, a poet from the Southern Song Dynasty, to showcase the new exploration that Song poetry has made in sound description. Fan’s poetry, characterized by its realistic portrayal of everyday life, offers rich descriptions of the “sounds of urban life”—An imagery closely intertwined with the urban forms and commercial culture of the Song Dynasty. Through detailed narratives, Fan reinforces the emotional connotations and symbolic meaning of this imagery. Departing from the traditional focus on artistic conception prevalent in classical Chinese poetry, Fan’s work highlights the depiction of reality and affinity for everyday life. By presenting real-world sounds in a distorted manner, drawing on the psychological construct of “dreams,” Fan carries forward the artistic expression pioneered by the Northern Song poet Huang Tingjian. Moving beyond the lyrical aesthetics of Tang poetry marked by the “fusion of emotion and the natural setting,” Fan explores a novel approach, articulating his inner world through the medium of sound, showcasing the distinctive artistic qualities of Song poetry.

Keywords

Fan Chengda, sound, sounds of urban life, dream, psychological description, Song poetry

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