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1、v-Introduction (2)The eight-legged essay was a style of essay writing that had to be mastered to pass the imperial examinations(科举 ) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is named so because it was divided into eight sections.The eight-legged essay format was invented by the Song Dynasty reformer W
2、ang Anshi. However, it is not certain exactly when the form became the standard for the civil service examinations(公务员考试) . A model form for essay writing issued by Emperor Taizu of Ming in 1370 is much less rigid and precise than eight-legged essays eventually became. It specifies only the topics t
3、o be tested in the examinations and the minimum length of the candidates essays. According to Gu Yanwu, the form of the essay became more standardized during the 15th century. The term eight-legged essay first appeared during the period from 1465 to 1487, and the essay form was first required in the
4、 examinations of 1487 and 1496.Since mastery of the form was a requirement for success in the examinations, commercial printers during the Ming Dynasty began to print successful examination essays as guides for aspiring candidates. The first of these appeared in pirated form during the 16th century.
5、 However, the practice gained official approval in 1587, when the government suggested that the best papers of the previous century be reprinted as examples.Eight sectionsOpening 破題 break topicTwo sentences of prose whose function is to broach the topic.Amplification 承題carry topicFive sentences of p
6、rose, elaborating upon and clarifying the theme.Preliminary exposition 起講 begin speakProsaic writingInitial argument 起股begin sectionA specified number (4, 5, 8 or 9) of sentence pairs written in parallel, developing the initial argument. The parallel sentences address the topic and convey similar me
7、anings, with similar structure but different words.Central argument 中股middle portionSentences written in parallel, with no limit as to their number, in which the central points of the essay are expounded freely.Latter argument 後股after portionSentences written in parallel, with no limit as to their n
8、umber. Here, points not addressed in the previous section are discussed; otherwise, the writer may continue padding the ideas in the central argument. It is to be written in a serious tone rooted in realism.Final argument 束股tying-up sectionParallel sentence groups, each one consisting of either two
9、to three, or else four to five, lines. Here, the main theme is revisited and loose ends are tied up.Conclusion 大結big knotProsaic writing where free expression and creativity are allowed. The concluding remarks are made here.Comment M1: 闲谈者 和旁观者散文的文类1. Classic Essay(古典随笔/经典随笔) In literary studies and
10、 criticism, the term “classic” is very broad and comprehensive in meaning. It may refer to : (1) the works of the highest rank in any nation, as every nation, big or small, has at least one period that sees greatest works; (2) Greek or Roman literature, or any work that follows the Greek and Roman t
11、radition of writing; and (3) the works that conform to strict rules or elegant forms, produced from intellect rather than imagination, and avoiding obscurity or self-indulgence.The characteristics of classic literature:(1)Classic literature is of clarity, splendour, sublimity, and philosophicality.
12、(2)In western literature there is always a lasting trait of Greek and Roman vigour which fosters a classic temperament in the literary minds of many genrations.(3)Great importance is placed upon strict rules, elegant forms, refined diction, confined syntax, and balanced texture, in all classic liter
13、ature including the classic essay, which is more flexible, though.(4)The classic essay is as comprehensive in subject matters and styles as in all classic literature.Classic writers prepared much for modern literature; modern essayists or prose writers owe much to classic essays, without which, as s
14、ome literary critics believe, they would have to build their literary castle just on the quicksand.2. Periodical Essay(报刊杂文)The periodical essay usually refers to the type of essay that appeared in the journals, as in The Tatler and The Spectator, from which the periodical essay is generally thought
15、 to have initiated. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries there appeared the London coffeehouse, of which the most famous were Buttons and Wills. By that time the passion for coffee-drinking (amusingly satirized in J.S. Bachs “The Coffee Cantata”) had spread all over Europe, and coffeehouse (lik
16、e hotel bars in the modern world) had become popular places for the exchange of news and opinions. It was in London coffeehouses that the most famous of the early “periodicals” were born, namely The Tatler(1709-1711) and The Spectator(1711-1712).The Tatler is the name of a British magazine, which is the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele and his friend Joseph Addison in 1709. In 1711 The Tatler was replaced by a ne
