The Selected Works by the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties which edited by Mao Kun summarized the prose style and artistic characteristics of the Eight Great Writers of Tang and Song Dynasties. Besides, it also analyzed the writing methods and techniques of the writers by the commentaries which written for every single article of the writer. However, most of the studies about Mao Kun nowadays always overpass the commentaries in The Selected Works by the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and just focus on the preface or Kun’s other articles of literary criticism. At the same time, Kun’s theory of True Quality is also regarded as an independent concept with his theory of Sincere Emotion, Methodology of Prose, Six One Belonging, and the ideas on the unity of writing and virtue. Similarly, the studies on the prose style and artistic characteristics the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties also often overlook Kun's commentaries and the value of literary criticism in The Selected Works by the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Therefore, being the study of Ouyang Xiu, this article will analysis Xiu’s prose style and artistic characteristics according to Mao Kun’s theory of True Quality and the commentaries in The Selected Works by the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The theory of True Quality about the song and poetry in Song and Yuan dynasty was talking about how to show the writers' real emotion through their works. Then, 7 Tong Shun Zhi extended it to the attention on writers’ virtue. At last, Mao Kun elucidated this concept by expounding the theories such as Sincere Emotion, Methodology of Prose, and Six One Belonging, etc. And it made the idea seemed more bountiful. According to Mao Kun, the theory of True Quality was talking about the knowledge and virtue of the writers, how they felt about the objective world, and showed their real emotion through the articles by using the attractive and distinctive artistic features. Mao Kun offered the criticism of Ouyang Xiu’s prose by using the theory of True Quality. In view of Kun’s commentaries, Xiu was faithful, sincere and candid. Xiu was such a true man that communicates an impression of self-respect and respect for others. His proses showed that he had extensive knowledge and outstanding views which made his articles so meaningful. Kun said that there contained True Quality in Xiu’s Prose not only because of Xiu’s great virtue and sincere emotion, but also he could feel the objective world with great expression. At the same time, Xiu’s proses had magnificent literary grace that fascinated the readers so much. Xiu’s proses had both of the rich content, sincere emotion and wonderful literary talent. All of these were calling his True Quality which Mao Kun emphasized in The Selected Works by the Eight Great Writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

茅坤的《唐宋八大家文鈔》以形象的語言概括了唐宋八大家的藝術風貌， 探討了散文的創作規律和藝術特徵，同時，通過各篇文章的評語，對作家文章作 法和技巧作的具體分析，成為後來各種文章選本的楷模，值得重視。 可惜的是，當前大多關《唐宋八大家文鈔》的研究均是建基在對茅坤的單 篇文論著述或《唐宋八大家文鈔》序跋的評述之上，而對《文鈔》中的圈抹評點 則分析較少；同時，普遍論者均將茅氏的「本色論」與其「情至說」、「文法論」、 「風神觀」，乃至文道觀念等割裂起來，未有形成一個完整的觀照；而關於唐宋 八大家散文風格及藝術特色的研究，亦往往忽略了茅氏的評點，而《文鈔》這種 選本形式的批評意義多被冷待。由此，本研究即以《文鈔》中茅坤的評點為材料， 選取歐陽修作主要研究對象，藉茅氏的本色批評觀照歐陽公散文的藝術風格，以 為歐陽公散文研究的一個重要線索。 宋元詩論、曲論之述「本色」，以「直抒胸臆」為是；唐順之在這個基礎上， 觸及作家德性識見的層面。茅坤沒有順著唐順之道學的路徑走下去，其秉持對文 道合一的重視之餘，又在文學的方面下了極大的功夫，所論「情至」、「法度」， 實是在唐氏的基礎上大大的發展了本色批評的意蘊，使之終成圓滿。 綜覽茅坤的文論著述及《唐宋八大家文鈔》的序跋評述，再結合《文鈔》 中的圈抹評點，得見茅坤之論本色者，既繫於作家主體的德性見識，又達客觀物 象的至情所及，強調得其情至而直抒胸臆的真精神，又重文法的曲折生動的表 現，四者關連密切，互相參照。 而茅坤在《文鈔》以其本色批評論歐陽修的文章，得見歐陽公忠直坦率、 自尊自重、惜才慷慨的風度具體形象，生色動容，此真性情也；此外，歐文議論 5 明晰，經略獨步古今，此「識見」乃又是文章「旨」之所重。同時，茅坤以「情 至」述歐陽公文章的超然特色與成就，牽涉作家的良知德性，情真意切之餘，又 是其稟賦之能與天地之情至相契合；且歐陽公之文張弛有度，法度明晰，生色跌 盪，如駿馬奔馳，激蕩人心，此則為文章「文」之所現。 歐陽公文章情、理、法度兼備，乃其「風致」的本色所在，以茅坤「本色 論」觀歐陽修其人其文，使歐陽公的藝術形貌得見豐盈，這同時是《唐宋八大家 文鈔》之於歐陽修散文研究的意義所在。