Conclusion: Sincerity reconsidered

Summary

The idea that “sincerity” is an essential quality of the lyric poem is a staple of traditional literary criticism which predates the time of Tu Fu. As used in the appreciation of Tu Fu, where sincerity is stressed as one of the excellencies of his poetry, the concept may be thought to have acquired a new theoretical importance. From being an essential quality of worthwhile poetry, sincerity evolved into a standard by which worthwhile poetry may be recognized. Applied with equal frequency to both his personal character and his poetry, it has extended its influence further into Tu Fu criticism by becoming the rationale for holding Tu Fu to be unique. “Sincerity” is the quality that has especially seemed to literary critics to justify his claim to uniqueness. The identification of sincerity as the salient characteristic of his character and his poems both reinforces and is reinforced by Tu Fu's position at the pinnacle of the poetic tradition. In this concluding chapter, we shall explore the dynamics of appreciation whereby sincerity both summarizes the traditional characterization of Tu Fu's poetry and has also placed that poetry beyond literary evaluation.

In seeking to avoid conflating appreciation of the poet with appreciating of his work, I have made distinctions between the poet and the poetry by devising neutral equivalents for traditional critical terms. Tradition, however, has favored their conflation. The dominance of critical terms which conjoin the person and work reflects a very long tradition of ad hominem interpretations of his poetry that dates back to the Sung dynasty. This brief concluding chapter examines the useful conflation of poet and writing in a central tenet of traditional interpretation, that of sincerity.