Psychology of Traditional Culture and the Evolution of the Literary Style in the Late 7th and Early 8th Centuries

Objectives “Classical Studies” was a significant literary philosophy during the transition from the Early Seventh Century in China, leaving a profound mark on the history of Chinese prose. This study aims to explore the prose theories of Classic Chinese writers, as well as their reform of parallel-style official documents, from the perspective of traditional literature and psychological anxiety. Methods Through systematic analysis of the literary works of Classic Chinese writers, this study explores the psychological anxiety manifested in their writings. Integrating psychological theories with the perspective of psychological, supplemented by classical Chinese prose theory, this paper delves into the literary ideals of the “Literary Style” and its transformative role in the evolution of parallel prose from a psychoanalytic perspective. Results The evolution of the “Literary Style” parallel prose official documents in the seventh century primarily manifests in: balance form and substance, emphasizing psychological depth while pursuing formal beauty; not only preserved the exquisite craftsmanship of parallel prose but also infused it with broad and uplifting psychological confidence; the blending of parallel and free prose structures with diminished allusions, breaking the rigidity of strict parallelism through flexible insertion of free prose elements, thereby alleviating the resultant psychological anxiety. Conclusions From a cultural-psychological perspective, the “Literary Style” established psychological confidence in seventh-century Chinese parallel prose composition. These innovations significantly alleviated cultural and psychological anxiety in the evolution of parallel prose while cultivating a psychological aesthetic that prized sublime magnificence, and exerted profound influence on the development of subsequent literary forms. Acknowledgments This research was supported by the following grants: 2023 Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Fund Project of the Ministry of Education of China “The Transformation of Tang Dynasty Parallel Prose and Intellectual Trends in Prose Reform”, (Grant No. 23YJC751031).