Summary Of Taming Of The Shrew By Eugene Wang

In “The Taming of the Shrew: Wang Xizhi (303-361) and Calligraphic Gentrification in the Seventh Century,” Eugene Wang examines the work of Wang Xizhi, a legendary early Chinese calligrapher. Eugene Wang argues that the qualities attributed to the calligraphy largely developed in the 7th century in response to sociopolitical changes. A little background information, Wang Xizhi lived during a time referred to as China’s Period of Division and this allowed him to cultivate his brush writing skills. Wang Xizhi was successful in all three scripts – running, cursive, and regular. Eugene Wang discusses the afterlife of the artist’s body of work. He also, presents methodologies for analyzing and appreciating Chinese calligraphy, along with some of

the difficulties in the study of the medium. Wang’s calligraphy formally condenses, or stylistically sublimates, a deep-seated Chinese moral sensibility schooled in a Confucian culture. Through the calligraphy, Wang projects a persona of refined and gentlemanly self-control. Through my essay, you can see how Eugene Wang analyzed Wang Xizhi’s work of art.
Firstly in the essay they discussed, the “Letter on the Disturbances,” is a letter written by Wang in late in his life. Wang Xizhi wrote the letter in response to the news that his ancestral tombs in Northern China had been devastated by natural catastrophies: “my ancestral tombs have once again been ravaged…I am filled with pain, my heart is broken” (250). The words in the letter are truly expressing his feelings. His closing strokes suggest his self-control and the firm hand while coping with his emotional stress. By the end of the letter, the characters no longer maintain a distinct script form but instead, are jumbled into one stroke cursive script. Wang’s calligraphic embodiment of the Confucian ideal turns out to be historically untenable. Towards the end of the letter, the stroke endings suggest the Confucian ideal of restraint, despite the calligrapher’s inner feelings. However, the perception is not free to assume, but it’s already been preconditioned to characterize Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy as it displays a “tranquil disposition” (250). This is the overall description of Wang Xizhi’s “Letter of Disturbances” in the words of Wang Xizhi himself and Eugene Wang.
Secondly they described his conflicting characterization, Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy inspired by body descriptive text in the form of quotations, observations, memorable one-liners, and flights of rhetoric-has not always been a harmonious chorus of praise.

Tranquil disposition of a gentleman became the standard profile of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, an alternative characterization built upon the trope of a “brave warrior” (252). In the medieval rhetorical scheme of binary oppositions, the “brave warrior” is often juxtaposed with the “gentleman.” This is complementary opposition between the brave warrior and the gentleman that constitutes the dual roles in the description of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy. In context to Tang calligraphic discourse that tends to cast Wang’s calligraphy in a graceful disposition, the view of his writing strikes one as refreshingly perverse in its characterization of Wang’s calligraphy in terms of the “warrior” trope (253). The colophon, which was also attributed to Wang in the Tang period, emphasizes the analogy, between the arts of calligraphy and war. In the essay it mentioned, “Brush is knife; ink, armature; water and inkstone…” comparing the art brush to a knife (253). Also, the twist and turns of the brush represents the killings and slaying of war. Even if we dismiss the attribution, we nonetheless can regard the colophon as part of the discursive formation associated with image of Wang Xizhi in the Tang period. 253. There’s a strong, forceful

personality of Wang Xizhi projected in such early sources reinforces his rather militaristic view of calligraphy associated with him (253). He is listed under the category “back bone” and not under “gentility” (253). This is how conflicting characterization of Wang Xizhi was explained.
Thirdly in the essay they described his calligraphy and mourning, the question of calligraphic representation of mourning, as expressions of joy and sorrow were at the heart of the theory of representation in Confucian thought.

Music is used as symbolic expression for emotional stirrings. Traditional Confucians use such expressions as a measurement of the success or failure of a government. In the “Book of Rites,” it’s mentioned, “there is an interaction between the words and the airs (of the people) and the character of their government” (255). In the “Book of Rites,” rulers were urged to regulate the society through ceremonies and music and the arts. The purpose of these ceremonies and music is not to satisfy the appetite of ears and eyes, but it’s intended to teach people to regulate the likes and dislikes of the people and hope to bring them back to the normal course of humanity. They came to the conclusion that the ideal form of expression is to have “joy without wantonness and sorrow without breakdown” (255). For example, Emperor Taizong’s obsession with calligraphy was an integral part of his campaign to revive Confucian culture. “Wang Xizhi was installed as a part of calligraphy mainly because of the formal aspects of the style associated with him were seen as perfect embodiment of aesthetic and moral qualities that set forth in Confucian thought” (255). Eugene Wang describes Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy and

mourning.
From the Six Laws of Xie He, the first and last two laws are spirit resonance, bone method, division & planning, and transmission by copying. To recap, spirit resonance is the overall energy of a work of art. Bone method is the way of using the brush. Division and planning is placing and arranging things in a certain composition, space, and depth. Transmission by copying is transmitting and conveying earlier models. According to the essay, Wang Xizhi used his brush in a way to interpret strokes as if they are killing/slaying people in war that deals with bone method. Also according to the essay, when Wang Xizhi was writing a letter when he becomes more emotional his writing gets jumbled and script isn’t distinct anymore and this goes along with law of division and planning. Also using the letter as an example, we can use spirit resonance to explain his script because the overall energy that’s described in the letter is emotional distress/ sadness. Transmission according to general Chinese calligraphy, people tend to copy other’s works of course give them credit, but they hope to get the same result as the other calligraphers. These are the first two and last two laws from the six laws of Xie He and their explanations according to the essay.
In conclusion, Eugene Wang examines the work of Wang Xizhi, a legendary early Chinese calligrapher. Also, he discusses his conflicting characterization, his calligraphy and mourning, and most of all his “Letter of Disturbances.” His conflicting characterization, calligraphy and the letter all discuss his militaristic view of his personality. His brush strokes describe as killings/slaying as they are sharp strokes of a knife. The six laws of Xie He all demonstrate in some way or form in Eugene Wang’s essay, “The Taming of the Shrew: Wang Xizhi (303-361) and Calligraphic Gentrification in the Seventh Century”. Due to the essay, we were able to see how Wang Xizhi’s work has been analyzed by Eugene Wang.