「驚心散文詩」一詞雖是由蘇紹連所發揚光大，但「驚心」情境之設計與引發，卻一直是台灣當代散文詩的普遍技法。此技法不但是台灣當代散文詩最明顯的美學特徵，亦是台灣當代散文詩得以擺脫文類辨別爭議的關鍵。台灣詩壇全心致力於散文詩創作者不多，且彼此承先敔後，因此很容易依次整理成譜系；「驚心」技法既被這些重要作者不斷運用、傳承，自然便形成一種「典律」，並深刻影響該文類的創作及評論標準。本文一方面檢討典律的形成過程，破除「驚心典律」乃出自商禽、蘇紹連、渡也大力提倡的不確說法，而將其回歸為台灣詩壇在現代主義餘風下，嘗試「以散文為詩」的可預見結果。其次，則繼續檢視典律之弊，指出散文詩樣貌本來十分多變，但在典律霸權之下，則必然使得大量後繼創作、評論者誤入僵化呆板之絕境，而少數可率眾突圍之先驅，當是台灣現代散文詩得以昇華轉化的希望。驚心典律雖有確立文類地位之功，但在時代變遷下疲弊態勢已十分明顯，詳論其來龍去脈，除可作為文學史料之初步整理，亦可為策來之資。

Although the term "startling prose poem" is enhanced and glorified by Shao-lien Su, the design of the context and use of “startling” has been a general technique in the writing of contemporary prose poems in Taiwan. Such a technique is not only the most significant aesthetic characteristic of contemporary prose poems in Taiwan, but also the main reason that contemporary prose poems in Taiwan can get rid of the controversy over genre identification. Only a few creators in the poetry society in Taiwan fully devote themselves to the creation of prose poems and learn from one another; therefore, it is easy to arrange their creation into a pedigree in proper order. Because the technique of "startling" is constantly used and succeeded by these important creators, it has naturally become a kind of "canon," which profoundly affects the creation and standard of criticism of such literary genre. Besides investigating the formation process of canon, the study also eradicates the fallacy suggesting that the "canon of startling" originate from Shang Qin while strongly promoted by Su Shao-lien and Do Ye, but attributes it to the impact of modernism from the poetry society in Taiwan with an attempt to present a predictable result, which is to "transform prose into poems." Moreover, the study further inspects the disadvantage of canon and indicates how the diversity of the original prose poems is affected by hegemony of canon, which inevitably leads to a great deal of dull creation and stiff criticism. However, a few creators who can break the boundary are the key to the sublimation and transformation of contemporary prose poems in Taiwan. Although the canon of startling did contribute to the identification of the literary status of prose poems, its disadvantages have become significant with the change of time. Besides providing a preliminary arrangement to literary and historical data, a detailed investigation on the background of startling prose poems can also be used as the guideline for developing future literary creation.