Analysis On Elopement Stories In Chinese Ancient Novels And Operas

There are many widely spread elopement stories in ancient novels and operas, such as Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru, Hong Fu and Li Jing etc. It is worth thinking and researching on reasons about their occurrence and development as well as authors'worldly ideal in them.This article formed with the introduction part , the body and the epilogue. The introduction part summarizes on the definition of elopement and designates the research range on this elopement story.The first chapter discusses on two reasons for the occurrence of this elopement story. Firstly, it is the dissatisfaction with parents'arrangement for marriage. The necessary media -"dictates of parents and words of matchmakers"in the marriage system is a killer for love between man and woman, leading some women to elope with man so as to search for self-happiness. Secondly, it is the self-awareness of women. In feudal society, women stands on the lowest position in society, receiving the most persecution. In the restraint of marriage system and thought of"man is superior to woman", as for the marriage, women have no other choice but to"take orders to"or"accept their fate". Under deep pressure, many women think about their environment and real pleasure, which shows women's self-awareness. Among them, some even choose elopement pursuing for love and marriage.The second chapter mainly analyzes on the main features for inherit of such elopement story. First, the same elopement story is repeatedly written by different writers in different time, such as Hongfu and Li Jing's elopement story written by Zhang Fengyi , Ling Mengchu and Cao Yan respectively in , , < North Hongfu> and so on. Second, the same creation ways are repeatedly adopted. For example, the mode of"Wandering of Soul"is firstly appeared in"Pang A"in , and then still is applied in < Li Hun Ji>, and so on. Besides, this chapter also analyzes on the writer's arrangement that agrees with law and discipline for this elopement story, such as the elopement is accepted by parents which is typically shown in"Zhuo Wenjun elopes with Sima Xiangru"and so on; others contain reasons for"Ming Shu","pay a debt of gratitude"and so on which are also in accordance with traditional morals, for example, Wang Yuying eloping withStudentHanin ; and punishment on those women, such as Xiuxiu in and so on.The third chapter digs its meaning for society and the writer's life ideal by analyzing the portraits. The women characters in elopement stories have different family backgrounds, but they generally have beautiful faces, excellent acquirement, and unswervingly loyal to love. Beautiful girl elopes with feudal scholars showing the desire for romantic love exiting in different hierarchy. While for the man, his scholar mind-set is displayed, such as Wang Wenju who wants to acquire the scholar honor whole-heartedly in < the Enchanting Shadow >, in which the scholar's upset for imperial examinations and strong longing for scholar honor are implied.The epilogue simply discusses abuses that might brought about by elopement, such as deceive experienced by women, women's encounter with villains and killing by them.