A Study On Essay Anthology Edited By Huang Zongxi In The Ming Dynasty

Huang Zongxi was a great academic master who was very proficient in Confucian classics,history and literature.He had compiled three Ming Dynasty essay anthologies:Mingwenan,Mingwenhan,and Mingwenshoudu.Based on these three books,the present dissertation,focused on the problems as compiling,editions and prose theories from the perspectives of Classical bibliography and literary criticism theory,and also made a comprehensive survey and projection on these three books compiled by Huang Zongxi.Mingwenan,Mingwenhai,and Mingwenshoudu were compiled by Huang Zongxi to preserve the first generation literary literatures of Ming dynasty.He had overcame all obstacles and difficulties under the social background that the floating and empty study styles flourished as the time clasping.It took decades to finish this work.The compiler’s literature reserve,learning and cultivation capabilities,compiling visions and also his compiling ambitions jointly contributed to the final successive completion of these three books during the Kangxi Dynasty.Though there were differences in the scholars included,articles and volumes,contents,styles and layouts,they were mutually related with each other.Thereinto,the first edition in Mingwenan played emphasis on authenticity;Mingwenhai aimed at the completions;the elaborate version the Mingwenshoudu focused on optimum selections.There were differences in the engraving and spreading of these three books,and also in the existing editions.This dissertation mainly investigated the conditions of the different editions’existence and disappearance.For the problems as the actual volumes,where the scattered and lost manuscripts had gone,the mysteries of the secretly pilfering,the hypothesis about Mingwenhai "the edition not finalized in the later years of Huang Zongxi",the volumes of the original book,and also the extractions problems of Mingwenhai etc,we made very detailed and comprehensive analysis and explortations.For the Mingwenshoudu,we also explored the problems as the compiler’s authority,comments and preface.During this process,the special cultural significance of these three books compiled by Huang Zongxi was clear-cut.The abundant prose theories were explicitly and implicitly reflected in the essay anthologies compiled by Huang Zongxi.Where the explicit literary theory existed in the theoretic formats,the implicit literary theories were mainly implemented in the pracitical activies of compiling in non-theoretic formats.Based on his woks on the selections and inclusions of the literati’s works,arrangements on the styles and layouts,appraisals and comments.Huang Zongxi indicated his unique cognitions and propositions towards the problems as the function of the literary,the styles of creations,and the heritance and its variants.For example,in his stylistcs theories,he emphasized the cultural unity with the Tao,affection delivery as the purpose;as for his writer theories,he proposed the styles as the man,and emphasized that the article sources might be from the classic works as Confucian classics.in his creation theories,he encouraged that,the authentic writing sources should be from the Six Classics,appropriate techniques should be applied in the narrations,he stressed the beauty in the literature,opposed imitations,and favored originality.In his works theories,Huang Zongxi advocated the principle as practice-oriented,diverse styles-employed,and also the objective principle irrespective of the literati or the works themselves.In the preface of Mingwenan,Huang Zongxi definitely proposed the"three flourish hypothesis "of Mingwen,and he thought that,the Eight-part essay was one of the main reasons for the destitution of the essays in Ming dynasty.Hundreds of comments scattered in Mingwenhai,and Mingwenshoudu specifically indicated his diverse esthetic interests and theoretic criticisms.For example,he severely criticized the Reversionaries,but highly praised the School of Tang and Song Dynasty and also Gong’an School.So to speak,the Ming Dynasty essay anothology edited by Huang Zongxi are not only the theoretic signs of his prose theories,but also the practical reflection of his theories.By the way of compiling,Huang Zongxi’s prose theories were further indicated,condensed and promoted.At the same time,these three books also proved and reflected his literary concepts in turn.These three books,with their complete inclusions,a very huge system and framework and also the deep and elaborate theories,were superior to and independent of the enormous Ming Dynasty Essay Anthologies,which indicated inestimable academic values.