Abstract
This study will utilize Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the literary field and modern poetry scholar Xi Mi's concept of the "literary field Game-Changer" to analyze the literary career of Yang Chia-Hsien. It will examine how she rose to prominence in the Taiwanese online poetry community from the 1990s to the new millennium, and how she gradually became one of the most notable female poets in Taiwan in the 21st century through various literary practices and the accumulation of symbolic capital, coupled with her highly charismatic poetic concepts. In Yang Chia-Hsien's literary creation career, the influences of notable figures such as Eileen Chang, Yang Mu, and Luo Zhicheng have significantly shaped her creative concepts and aesthetic beliefs. Yang Chia-Hsien has never shied away from acknowledging the inspiration these masters provided her, frequently mentioning them in her writings and public appearances, thereby showcasing the "distinction" and refined taste of an academic poet. She attempts to follow the academic poetic path with Yang Mu as a central paradigm. As an academic poet, "classicism" and "tradition" are essential thresholds to cross. Consequently, Yang Chia-Hsien's four poetry collections, from "Civilization of Holding Breath" to "Golden Crow," exhibit a deep dedication to classical traditions. As she asserts, "Without tradition, there is no innovation," Yang Chia-Hsien endeavors to explore the dialectical thinking of "classical and avant-garde" and "old-fashioned and novel" in modern poetry, responding to the neoclassicism of Taiwanese modern epic poetry, thus establishing her aesthetic position in the Taiwanese poetry scene. In her poetry creations over the years, the lyrical stance of "dying for love" and the magnificent forms of neoclassicism construct lyrical poetry with intense emotional tension and aesthetic style, elevating her love writings beyond the confines of typical love poetry to create a grand and extraordinary artistic realm. Furthermore, this study aims to highlight Yang Chia-Hsien as an "engaged" poet whose various literary practices in the Taiwanese literary circle serve as exemplary models of success. Yang Chia-Hsien is not only a poet and essayist but also a university professor, a captivating speaker and host, a literary award judge, a literary book editor, a poetry festival curator, and an advocate for Taiwan's gender movement. These diverse roles, endowed with significance and discursive power, have strengthened Yang Chia-Hsien's symbolic capital in the Taiwanese literary world, reminiscent of Yang Mu in the 1970s, exuding the grandeur of an academic poet. As a literary elite among academic poets, Yang Chia-Hsien's prefaces and literary critiques play a crucial role in enhancing her reputation. Her writing style, situated between elegant essays and academic critiques, exudes the sophisticated taste, literary education, aesthetic beliefs of an intellectual, and the academic life, urban experiences, and literary connections of a poet. These critical writings, whether overtly or subtly, articulate Yang Chia-Hsien's literary brand, gathering and uniting writers from different generations in the Taiwanese literary scene.