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A Semiotic View of Li Shangyin's Allusiveness

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A Semiotic View of Li Shangyin's Allusiveness GSTF International Journal on Education (JEd) Vol.1 No.2, November 2013 Manipulating the Sign: A Semiotic View of Li Shangyin’s Allusiveness Li Zeng, Ph.D. Dept. of Classical and Modern Languages School of Arts and Sciences University of Louisville Louisville, USA [email protected] Abstract—Focusing on the formal and semantic allusive To approach my subject, I propose to use some process in some of Li Shangyin’s (ca. 812-858 ) allusive models drawn from Li Shangyin (ca.812-858), a Late poems, this paper demonstrates how the (inter-) textual Tang poet who, in James J.Y. Liu's words, “has been space functions “as a principle of organization for both admired and condemned for the highly allusive making signs out of linguistic items.” (Michael character of much of his poetry.” 2 In my re- Riffaterre) examining Li’s allusive poems, I shall apply recent Keywords--literary allusion; semiotics; marker; theories of allusion which were developed in the light activation; intertextuality; “clouds and rain;” overt; of intertextuality which, in Jonathan Culler’s words, assimilative; poetic signification is central to semiotic description of literary signification since it “leads us to consider prior texts as contributions to a code which makes possible the I. INTRODUCTION various effects of signification.”3 In pre-modern Chinese poetry where tradition II. ALLUSION DEFINED IN and imitation work as a simultaneous projection of CONTEMPORARY THEORIES literary models and codifications, allusive characteristics are inevitably strong. Traditionally, In her well-known article “The Poetics of the work of coming to grips with allusions was Literary Allusion,” Ziva Ben-Porat says: fundamental for literary commentators in the annotation and interpretation of poetry. While The literary allusion is a device for the providing valuable information about origins (or simultaneous activation of two texts. The possible origins) of allusions in allusive texts, activation is achieved through the traditional commentators treated allusive phenomena manipulation of a special sign: a sign mainly as source or influence. This situation has (simple or complex) in a given text gradually changed in modern and contemporary characterized by an additional larger studies of classical poetry where scholars recognize "referent." This referent is always an the importance of allusion to poetic forms and independent text. The simultaneous meanings.1 While being illuminating, most of these activation of the two texts thus connected studies, when referring to allusion, have not said results in the formation of intertextual enough about its function in texts and the structuring patterns whose nature cannot be of texts. predetermined.4 Thus, it is my interest here to tackle the rhetorical function of allusion which, I believe, works Here, by emphasizing the other one antecedent as a constitutive element of the poetic system and literary text, Ben-Porat calls our attention to the thus contributes to the process of poetic signification. 2 James J.Y. Liu, The Poetry of Li Shang-yin: Ninth-Century Baroque Chinese Poet (Chicago: The University of Chicago P, 1 See, e.g., David Lattimore, “Allusion and T'ang Poetry,” 1969) p.246. Perspectives on the T'ang, eds. Arthur F. Wright and Denis 3 Jonathan Culler, The Pursuit of Signs: Semiotics, Literature, Twitchett (New Haven: Yale UP, 1973) pp.405-439; and Kao Yu- Deconstruction (Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1981) p.103. kung and Mei Tsu-lin, “Meaning, Metaphor, and Allusion in T'ang 4 Ziva Ben-Porat, “The Poetics of Literary Allusion,” PTL: A Poetry,” HJAS 38 (1978) pp.281-356. Journal for Descriptive Poetics and Theory of Literature 1 (1976) pp.107-108. DOI: 10.5176/2345-7163_1.2.31 74 © 2013 GSTF GSTF International Journal on Education (JEd) Vol.1 No.2, November 2013 “simultaneous activation of two texts” in patterns of shape the production of his poetic text and permit its interrelation in the allusive process in a given literary readability. To see how allusive facets work in his work. Further, and what is more significant, in her poetry, we shall now direct our critical attention to study of literary allusion, Ben-Porat emphasizes the one allusion which Li Shangyin favors, namely, differentiation between allusion as a process of “clouds and rain” (yun yu). Focusing on one allusion activating the other text and allusion as a textual provides us with a conveniently limited sample for element within the linear sequence of the alluding discussing Li’s allusiveness here; and examining one text.5 In order not to confuse these two, she calls the particular allusion in different variations in a couple latter “marker.” In other words, the marker appears in of model instances will show that in Li Shangyin’s an alluding text and is the trigger for the actualization poetry one allusive instrument can produce different of an allusion. The marker is always identifiable as intertextual spaces that function as “a principle of such no matter whether it assumes a conventional organization for making signs out of linguistic form or a new one. As Ben-Porat says: “A distorted items.”8 quotation or a unique noun in a new declension are examples of markers that are recognizable as III. “CLOUDS AND RAIN:” ALLUSION belonging to a certain system in spite of a new TO THE GODDESS OF MOUNT WU form.”6 The marker also contains some kind of literal meaning in the context of the alluding text besides In alluding, Li Shangyin often goes to myths and the allusive one. legends which embody popular stories such as those In the theoretical framework above, we see about the Goddess of the moon, about the Goddess of clearly that three categories of allusive variables are the Mount Wu, and so on. In the formation of the involved in the dynamics of allusion: the “marker” in allusions to these myths and legends, there are certain the alluding text, the function of the allusion in the archetypal words that haunt poetic lines in the Li alluding text, and the relation of the alluding text to Shangyin corpus. 9 The words, “clouds,” which is the evoked text. In addition, allusion scholars like associated with erotic love, and “rain,” which means Carmela Perri put more stress on the active role the sexual love when used together with “clouds,” are reader plays in the allusive process. That is, the among one certain group of words that is “associated alluding text requires the cooperation of its reader as with intimacy, feminine beauty, and amorous a necessary condition for its realization. The reader is atmosphere,” as James Liu observes.10 These two presupposed to be able to identify the allusive marker words, used together or separately, serve as allusion in the alluding text as well as to collect further markers in a great number of Li’s poems for the information about the alluded text.7 This theoretical several dimensions of the story about the amorous emphasis of relying on the reader’s literary Goddess of Mount Wu and her mysterious love affair competence for a deeper perception and appreciation with the King of Chu. of the allusion should have not been a problem in Allusion to the Goddess of Mount Wu, often premodern China where a literati poet was first of all triggered by the marker “clouds and rain,” was a reader. By the time the literati poet began to write, repeatedly used by previous literati poets to express he had already read both intensively and extensively. their feelings of love or to refer generally to love And in many ways, his on-going writing was, to affairs. The repetitive use of this mythical allusion borrow Julia Kristeva’s words, still reading others’ thus became conventionalized in pre-Tang literature, writings. The high allusiveness in premodern Chinese especially during the Six Dynasties. It originated in poetry exemplifies that literati poets had to recourse an old myth about the goddess Yao Ji and was to a common literary codification shared by past developed in the mythical prose poems, the poets. Thus, from an intertextual or semiotic “Rhapsody on Gao Tang” and the “Rhapsody on the perspective, we see that in premodern Chinese poetry Divine Woman” attributed to Song Yu (in the third the process of allusion does not just involve the century BC). From Song Yu’s preface of the evocation of another, antecedent text, but the larger, “Rhapsody on Gao Tang” we know that Xiang, King more general field of culture in its literary form. of Chu, saw a cloud-spirit in constant shape when he It is perhaps with this understanding in mind and was strolling in the company of Song Yu on the based on a good comprehension of the allusive Cloud-dream Terrace. When he asked about this tradition that Li Shangyin explores ways to spirit, the poet told him that long ago a former king manipulate and extend existing allusive material to 8 Michael Riffaterre, Semiotics of Poetry (Bloomington: 5 See Ben-Porat, pp.107-126. Indiana UP, 1984) p.2. 6 Ibid, p.108. 9 See Zhang Shuxiang, Li Yishan shi xilun [An analytical 7 See, e.g., Carmela Perri, “On Alluding,” Poetics 7 (1978) discussion on Li Shangyin] (Taipei: Yiwen, 1974) pp.44-57. p.299. 10 James Liu, p.221. 75 © 2013 GSTF GSTF International Journal on Education (JEd) Vol.1 No.2, November 2013 was wandering upon this mountain of Gao Tang and Goddess is firmly established in medieval literature, when he disposed himself lazily there for a rest he especially in poetry, most obviously through the dreamed a girl visited him and offered him “the allusive image of “morning clouds and evening rain.” service of pillow and mat.” Having received his In poetry, “clouds and rain” is thus favor, the girl said to the king before leaving: conventionally used to allude to romantic passions, or even used as a substitute for sensual love.
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