Chapter Ten Poetry and Prose of the Mid-Tang and Late Tang

The literature of the Mid and Late Tang became more complicated. Poetry and prose were in a state of differentiation, i.e., some of them served the purpose of politics and education, while some others continued developing in the direction of the expression of feelings in individual life. From the Mid-Tang onward, many prohibitions were lifted especially in the field of poetry, where there was a richer and more complex representation of psychology and aesthetic taste. In A Critical Collection of Tang Poetry , Du Fu was listed as a High Tang poet. He explored deeply into the art of the use of diction, imagery and rhythm, and acquired experience for the development of artistic forms of Chinese poetry. In the latter part of Late Tang period, along with the revival of the theory of poetry as moral education, propositions similar to prose as means to illuminate the way were put forward. Keywords: A Critical Collection of Tang Poetry ; aesthetic taste; Du Fu; expression of feelings; late tang period; literature; mid-tang period; poetry; prose