Abstract：“Elaborated Images” are put forward by Chinese poet Liushahe, as one image of “twelve images”. That is, using “Fu” expression to “clear up” vague, dull and simple images and directly depict a bright, vivid and intricate “elaborated images”. “Elaborated Images” are usually employed with other images in one poem to compose an artistic conception with colorful images.

During the Movement of New Poetry, “China Craze” appeared in America literature. Poets headed by Pound, who were deeply interested in classical Chinese poetry, translated a lot of classical Chinese poems, learned the writing skills of Chinese poems and used in their own works. So in American culture, especially American modern culture, they separated from allusions and exotic images and most scholars agree that this trend has been influenced by classical Chinese poems and as a result, many “elaborated images” highlighted American poems. Many Imagist poems could be analyzed from the perspective of “Elaborated Images”.

This thesis is devoted to an exploration of the definition, characteristics and theory of “Elaborated Images” in American modern poetry by adopting the traditional approaches and the formalistic approach to analyze several typical poems. This thesis also explores the classification of “Elaborated Images” in American modern poetry and comparison with other images to have a thorough interpretation of “Elaborated Images”.

Different from the ancient narrative poems, Imagism put more emphasis on capturing the beauty of a moment in poet’s mind. So the analysis of Imagist poems focuses on different points of view. Through our exploration, we find that the theory of “Elaborated Images” conforms with this modern aesthetics more.

Key Words: Elaborated Images; classical Chinese poetry; image; point of view; symbol; allusion; extended metaphor

CONTENTS

摘要

Abstract

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Definition of “Elaborated Images”-1

1.2 Classical Chinese poems’ impact on American modern poetry-1

2 Analysis of “Elaborated Images ” in typical modern poems-5

2.1  Analysis of “In a Station of the Metro”-5

2.1.1 The text of the poem—from a Chinese perspective-5

2.1.2 Historical-biological considerations-7

2.1.3 An analysis of the “Elaborated Images ” in this poem-8

2.2  An analysis of “The Red Wheelbarrow”-9

2.2.1 His principles of composition-9

2.2.2 Williams’ borrowing from classical Chinese poetry-9

2.2.3 Analysis of “Elaborated Images”in this poem-10

2.3  Analysis of the image cat (fog) in “Fog” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”-11

3.Classification of “Elaborated Images” in American modern poetry-14

3.1  Classification from the point of view-14

3.1.1  “Elaborated Images”portrayed from the outside-14

3.1.2  “Elaborated Images” portrayed from the inner world-14

3.2  Classification from whether the poet exists or not in the “Elaborated Images”-17

3.2.1 Superficial “Elaborated Images”-17

3.2.2 Inner “Elaborated Image”-18

4. Contrast between the “Elaborated Images” and other images-20

4.1   Comparison between “Elaborated Images” and symbol-20

4.1.1  The definition of symbol-20

4.1.2  Comparison with symbols-21

4.2  Comparison between “Elaborated Images” and allusion-22

4.2.1  The definition of allusion-22

4.2.2  Analysis of allusions-22

4.2.3  Contrast with “Elaborated Images”-22

4.3  Contrast with the extended metaphor-24

4.3.1  The definition of the extended metaphor-24

4.3.2  Comparison with “Elaborated Images”-24

Conclusion-26

References-28

Acknowledgment-29