Exploring “fabula” and “sjuzhet” in classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of cognitive poetics

Abstract

By examining how two important narratological concepts, fabula and sjuzhet, can be employed in the studies of classical Chinese poetry, this article attempts to unlock the potential of narrative techniques in the criticism of lyric poetry. It finds firstly that fabula in lyric poetry consists of both material elements and lyrical elements; secondly, interpretation of Chinese eulogistic poems entails not only comprehension of the events presented in the text, but also the hyper-textual background of the poet; thirdly, the understanding of space in lyric poetry requires the knowledge of story, discourse, the poet’s composing process, as well as the readers’ engagement. From a cognitive poetics perspective, the article argues that complete aesthetic appreciation of lyrical poems needs the readers’ imagination, knowledge, mental state, and the text. Finally, as demonstrated in its analysis of some Chinese classic poems, this article stresses that the readers’ cognition of the poet’s life is crucial, and can be applied as a pragmatic approach to understanding Chinese lyric poetry.