This book is about Yuan Zhen, a poet who was prime minister in the mid-Tang Dynasty, and Xue Tao, a female poet with a low status who was appointed as a "principal scholar". The love and hatred are the main lines. It describes the rough lives of many poets in the declining middle and late Tang Dynasty, such as Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Li He, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, etc. These men of letters were both literary greats and important officials in the imperial court. It was they who supported and promoted the cultural prosperity of that era. And their fates are inextricably entangled with the emperor, court and local officials, with numerous grievances and grievances. After several eras and spanning hundreds of years, poems about immortals, saints, Buddhas, demons, ghosts, or ghosts appear, either as protagonists or as supporting characters.
The book may be said to be a novel, because it has real life sources, as well as fictitious character stories and exaggerated descriptions; it may be said to be a biography, because it is a description of the lives of a group of people of the era, including official and unofficial records and folklore; or it may be a "four-unlike" literary style, with more narration than plot stories, clear historical context but vague characters, clear social status but difficult to express character through language. In short, the author is based on real history, trying to use fictional plots, "stream of consciousness" form and fluent language to praise the steadfastness of love, sympathize with the ups and downs of life, and expose the darkness and cruelty of feudal society and rulers.
The chapters in this book include famous poems and poems that have been passed down for thousands of years. Understand the history, become familiar with the characters, appreciate poems and essays, express gratitude for the sage's magnanimity, gain insight into the feelings of the ancients, and preserve a wisp of ancient wind chimes for your own life.
Concept: The social predicament of the middle and late Tang Dynasty and the character of the poet in troubled times