黃宗羲의 古文論 - 至情과 窮經을 중심으로 -

Abstract

In this writing, Huang Zongxi’s literary theory about classical prose is examined focusing on ‘genuine emotion’ and ‘study of classics’. The background of Huang’s literary theory is a strong dissatisfaction about the literature in the late Ming-early Qing. To Huang, the literature at that time seemed to lose its genuine emotion (至情) and be occupied with copying classics from Qin, Han, Tang and Song. Having this critical mind, Huang stressed that the unchangeable genuine emotion, not ‘sa’ (詞), is the root of literature, and insisted that ‘reading books’ (讀書) especially ‘study of classics’ (窮經) should be preceded to learn literature. His emphasis on the study of classics is relevant to his own opinion that learning should be based on six Chinese classics (六經). The reason why he laid stress on the study of Confucian classics (經學) as a foundation of all learning is that he thought that the fundamental cause of imitation and plagiarism in academia in the late Ming-early Qing including literature and science is the absence of the study of Confucian classics. Later, such emphasis on the study of Confucian classics originated with the self-reflection on academia in the late Ming-early Qing influenced the revival of the study of Confucian classics during the Qing period.