Study On Tianhuazang Master And Its Novels

Tianhuazang master was one of the representatives of Genius and Beauty fiction writers in late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, in the same time he was also an important figure among popular fiction writers in Ming and Qing Dynasties. He made some important contributions to the maturity, prosperity and spread of Genius and Beauty fiction in early Qing Dynasty. So far, the research about Genius and Beauty fiction has been achieved a lot, but study about Tianhuazang master was little. As a case, the research about Tianhuazang master and his novels was not enough in depth and breadth. As some uncertain factors, such as the true identify of the author, were still existed. This dissertation first researched the identity of Tianhuazang master, then comprehensively studied the compilation, woodblock printing and publish of the novel on this basis. This dissertation put Tianhuazang master’s novels in a specific historical and cultural background and strived to grasp the whole novel writing style. This dissertation reviewed the various phenomena associated with the empirical examination presented in his novels, the change of narrative mode, the contradiction of creation idea, and the issue about stylistic features.There were two innovation points in this dissertation. One was discussing and supplementing the proofs about woodblock printing, version, and popularity due to lack of literatures in former studies. The other was that the dissertation sought to combine the specific historical and cultural background, literary trend changes and literary texts together, tried to find the new traits that the novel expressed, and their contributions to the novel history. In the same time, the dissertation explained and involved consciousness of edit and writing, imperial culture, narrative style, story mode, style changes, and the interaction between metaphorical meaning and historical context. The specific works were as follows:Chapter I:For doubting about the identity of Tianhuazang master, further study was carried out based on the former scholars and related information including the different era’s records of Jiaxing government, local literatures, poems and other information. This chapter found that Tianhuazang master should be Zhangyun in Xiushui, Jiaxing. This chapter also screened the different opinions which presented by the former scholars. This study commented that he was not a female author, and not Yanshuisanren, Feng Yu, Hou Huiqing, either. After comparing different opinions, the study further confirmed Tianhuazang master was Zhangyun.Chapter II: This chapter focused the studies on the process of writing and creation of Tianhuazang master’s novels. Due to the mode of writing and creation related to the internal and external literature factors, such as the literary training and moral values of the writer and creator, the background of era and culture, business competition, interesting of woodblock printer, readers’tastes, etc., this chapter specifically examined the mode of writing and creation from the novel title, preface, illustrations, and comments, etc., and the business sense demonstrated during writing and creation, and then to understand the promotion role of writing and creation in novel sales and followed commercial effect.Chapter III: On the basis of summary of former results, the chapter summarized and compared‘Yujiaoli’and‘Pingshanlengyan’which were the more complex version in Tianhuazang master’s novels. The version changes were explained and the time of book completed was further studied. Objective review was carried out on the important changes of other Tianhuazang master’s novel, especially the situation that was tampered and rewritten. In the context of ascertaining the writing and creation, book completed, and version, this chapter studied the place and period that Tianhuazang master’s novels came into fashion, discovered the woodblock printing prevalence and popularity, and analyzed the interaction among Tianhuazang master, bookstore, market and readers.Chapter IV: From the point of the historical and cultural background of late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, this chapter mainly researched and reviewed the following aspects, including the author’s imperial ideal, the group portrait of scholars in novel, scientific field defects, and bureaucratic darkness, empirical examination and marriage, etc.. This chapter studied the cultural background, geographical factors of South of Yangtze River, overview of imperial culture development, fiction text and scholar-beauty novels creation together, in the same time, appropriately compared with‘Liaozhaizhiyi’,‘Lulinwaishi’and‘Dream of Red Mansions’, further summarized the imperial examination’s effect on author’s creative mind and text generation.Chapter V: As the former scholars only used the words "love at first sight"-- "villain chaos"--"happy reunion" to evaluate the narrative model of Genius and Beauty novels, this chapter first discussed the narrative structure and changes of Tianhuazang master’s novel. This chapter made up the narrative focus art and geographic and space narrative which were not discussed by the former scholars. But to the role of poetry on the narrative, discussion was carried out from the new perspective. Under the premise of not rigidly sticking to the structuralism and formalism, the chapter discussed the innovation of novel narrative based on the characteristics embodied by the novel text, compared with the other Genius and Beauty novels in a same period, expected to find the similarities and common points hidden in the Tianhuazang mater’s novels, investigated the fixed form of Tianhuazang master, and summarized the reasons that he could not break his routines.Chapter VI: This chapter mainly analyzed the promotion and effect of Tianhuazang master and his works on Genius and Beauty novels. Tianhuazang master inherited and developed the medium-length classical legendary of Ming Dynasty, in the same time, learned form the drama of late Ming Dynasty. It was the beginning that literati independently created medium-length vernacular popular fiction. Lots of other works imitated Tianhuazang mater’s novel, especially after the appearance of‘Yujiaoli’and‘Pingshanlengyan’. Under the lead of Tianhuanzang master, the Genius and Beauty novels became more and more popular. But imitating each other and no innovation caused the declining of Genius and Beauty novel in later period. This chapter concluded the historical contributions of Tianhuazang master and his novels to Genius and Beauty novel and later classic literature.This dissertation summarized the important effect of Tianhuazang master and his novels on the development of novel history in Ming and Qing Dynasties based on the aforesaid six aspects’ research work. The study showed that Genius and Beauty novels led by Tianhuazang in early Qing Dynasty developed story topic of Genius and Beauty of previous dynasty, led and promoted the development of schools of Genius and Beauty novels. Genius and Beauty novels led by Tianhuazang was an important sign during the development and rheology of romance novels in early Qing Dynasty and also the basic section maintained the narrative order of literary history.