Theoretical Significance and Value Elucidation of Jingling School's Biographical Essays:Centered on Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun
The pioneering and innovative nature of the Jingling School's biographical essays appears to be partic-ularly notable,with the theoretical formation and textual writing of such essays powerfully demonstrating the influence of the intellectual trend of emphasizing the spirit and creativity on their thought and creation.Tracing the evolution of biographical essays,the Ming Dynasty represents a period of awakening of subject consciousness and breakthrough in classical biography,especially against the backdrop of the strengthening of subject consciousness among the late Ming literati community and its historical foundation,which allowed the Jingling School's biographical essays to exhibit the essential aspect of"spirit."Specifically,"painting with meticulous details and small talk"and"marvelous events worth narrating"constitute the two important poles of the Jingling School's biographical essay theory,highlighting its unique creative characteristics in terms of writing principles,artistic techniques,and theme selection.In terms of value significance,while continuing the"spiritual"literature's essence of"seeking truth,"the Jingling School's bio-graphical essays also timely incorporate the value concept of"seeking goodness"into their creation,that is,adopting a strategy of reflection and restraint in subjectivity construction in response to the reality of the Gong'an School's in-dulgence in emotions and excessive sentimentality.The Jingling School's correction and rectification of the"spirit"lineage within biographical essays are deserving of attention and recognition.