The Division and Reconciliation of the Self: Perspectives on the Poetry of Haizi and Zhang Zao

Abstract

The existential quandary encapsulated in the phrase-"my inquiry into myself, my debate with myself, my loss of myself, my encounter with myself"-not only reflects the solitary plight of the modern individual but has also become a central theme in modern Chinese poetry. The works of Haizi and Zhang Zao present divergent responses of the "I" confronting both itself and the external world. Haizi's oeuvre manifests a sustained schism within the subjective self; whether through the modernist renunciation of classical elements in his creative trajectory or the inward turn toward self-annihilation near his life's end, the binary oppositions within his work remain locked in a state of unresolved tension. In contrast, Zhang Zao, to a certain extent, embraces the classical poetic ideal of the "fusion of self and object," guided by a worldview reminiscent of a cosmos that embraces all things-an attitude governed by comprehension and all-forgiving love.