Research on Li Shangyin Outside Mainland China Since 2010

Abstract

In the last decade, research on Li Shangyin's poetry outside mainland China has notably shifted away from the traditional biographical interpretation method of "knowing the authors life and analyzing the work." A select few of these papers critically scrutinize the historical facts associated with Li Shangyin, unveiling fallacies in past biographical narratives and challenging the veracity of certain deeds. The majority of recent articles take a departure from the biographical approach, choosing instead to delve directly into the imagery, poetic artistic conception, and writing skills inherent in the text. These article provide in-depth analysis of the meaning and use of language, vocabulary and literary allusion. In some of them, emphasis is placed on the emotional and aesthetic value of Li Shangyin's poetry, with some scholars even regarding its "incomprehensibility" as an achievement rather than a shortcoming. In general, "what does the text of poetry express" has become an more and more important question.