On the Formation of Li He's View of Life and Death and Its Influence on His Poetic Style

Yuhao Gao

Journal of Literature and Arts Research, 2025, vol. 2, issue 2, 31-40

Abstract: Li He, a poet of the Middle Tang Dynasty, was posthumously dubbed the "Poet Demon". His poetry often revolves around the symbolic themes of immortals and ghosts, reflecting a departure from mundane concerns to explore metaphysical and existential questions. His verses are characterized by their lush and eerie imagery, with frequent use of cold, ominous terms such as "blood", "tears", "ghosts", and "death". Through such imagery, Li He confronts the mysteries of existence, expressing his reflections on life and death during his brief lifetime, as well as his insights into humanity and the self. As the "Poet of Ghosts", he does not fear the supernatural but instead reveres the mysterious aspects of himself that remain unexplored. Analyzing Li He's poetry reveals the nascent seeds of self-awareness and independent personality among Middle Tang poets, and highlights the allure of the "self".

Keywords: Li He; view on life and death; ghost and deity imagery; personality awakening (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.gbspress.com/index.php/JLAR/article/view/394/406 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dbb:jlaraa:v:2:y:2025:i:2:p:31-40

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Literature and Arts Research from George Brown Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Guangyi Li ().