On the Literary Creation and Literary Thoughts of Cao Cao

The Three Caos(Cao Cao,Cao Pi and Cao Zhi) were very well-known in the literary circles of the Jian'an period at the end of the Han Dynasty.Along with several other illustrious poets of the time later known as the Seven Jian'an Masters,their poems formed the backbone of what was to be known as the Jian' an style.Cao Cao and his sons had created a great number of Yuefu(poems composed in a folk song style) poems which stressed the expression of their internal feelings,signaling an emancipation from the shackles of Confucian classics that had been dominating the minds of literati for a long time.The high social status and royal life experiences of Cao Cao and his sons had cast an inevitable influence on the formation of their literary thoughts.The Three Caos all took a liking to the creation of Yuefu poems and were productive writers in this regard.Cao Cao was opposed to the turgid and slick tendency in the style of writing,and he advocated the unconventional,unpretentious,and realistic way of creating poems.