ABSTRACT
Yinchu, the Chinese hermitage, is often situated in the mountains or countryside, covered by lush green woods, while the western hermitage is often found in a remote, desolate landscape. This difference between hermitage landscapes and hermit lifestyles might be what aroused the interest of American writers. Some Christian hermits lived in a community called a 'hermitage' or monastery, the Carthusian hermitage in the eleventh century. All of these hermits led an austere, ascetic life, a religious life of intensity. Therefore, the English word 'hermit' has strong religious overtones. When American writers integrated elements taken from the Chinese hermit's space, they were conditioned by their own world view. However, when the American writers wrote shorter pieces concentrating on Chinese landscape consciousness, an innovative mixtures of the Chinese mode and English verse were created, such as Snyder's 'August on Sourdough, a Visit from Dick Brewer', and 'Pine Tree Top'; Rexroth's 'Star and Crescent'; and Bly's 'Solitude Late at Night in the Woods'.
