本論文凡七章十萬字。首章緒論，言研究動機與目的、範圍與方法，及曾鞏館閣期事略；二章針對館閣期散文，探尋其淵源；三章條陳其體裁與風格；四章論述其思想內容；五章分析其寫作藝術；六章歸納其成就與影響；七章則綜合前論；末附曾鞏館閣期事略及散文作品編年、散文體裁及著錄情況表。
研究曾鞏館閣期散文，可知其淵源於經術、漢文、韓柳及歐公；其體裁，大致分為序跋贈序文、書啟雜記文、論辯奏議文、碑誌哀祭文四類；其風格，雖依體裁不同而各具特色，大抵以「古雅平正」為主；其思想內容，不外乎儒家思想之宣揚、人文教化之關懷、學術源流之辨章、吏治情況之留心等四項要旨；其寫作藝術，則以「長於議論，舉證詳實」、「章法嚴謹，條理分明」、「文氣紆徐，節奏和緩」、「句法錯落，語言質樸」著稱，即《宋史》所謂「紆徐而不煩，簡奧而不晦」之藝術特質；其成就與影響，包括沾溉兩宋、啟迪元明、裨益清文；總此各點，足證曾鞏館閣期散文為其創作之精華，前有所承，後有所啟，兼賅眾體，自成一格而成就斐然；故能躋身唐宋八大家之列，在中國文學史上佔有重要地位。
My dissertation is made up of seven chapters and approximately one hundred thousand words. In the first chapter I will discuss my motives for choosing this topic, how I have dealt with the topic and give the reader a general summary of my thesis. In the second chapter I will direct my attention to the origins of this form of ancient prose. In the third chapter I will concentrate on examining the style of the literature in question. The forth chapter will focus on the ideology contained in this literary form. The fifth chapter will analyze the artistic qualities in these writings. The sixth chapter will examine the accomplishments and influence that this form of literature has had. The seventh chapter will review the previous six chapters and recap on the main points discussed in each. I will also enclose two documents discussing the historical background and a full historical development of Zeng Gong’s work.
Researching Zeng Gong courtier literature we can see its various origins and gain a better understanding of its place in an historical timeline. There are four main earlier influences on the form of this literature that I will also discuss. We will also look at the aspects that are special to this form of literature and no other. As far as the ideology is concerned there are also four important parts. The first is the expression of the ideology of the Confucian school of thought; the second is the relationship between the humanities and bringing civilization to the masses through education, the origins of the science of learning and the achievements of this administration. The method by which I have gone about this thesis is to take my time to prove the truth that I have found in each point. Each section has been written in a clear and concise manner. Having spent time looking at the historical background we will also realize that the prose of the ancient courtier Zeng Gong in his own form was a continuation of earlier prose yet he also has his own individual style and accomplishment. This also proves that he is worthy of standing with the Eight Great Men of Letters in the Tang and Sung dynasties.
