The Research Of Water Margin Imaging

Since the 21st century,the tendency of literary visualization is becoming more and more obvious.On behalf of the Chinese classical novel,Water Margin has to face the test of "Image Time" and the "The Research of novel Imaging" emerges accordingly.As the response to literary reality,this paper discusses the process and aesthetic laws in the imaging of Water Margin.Compared to the traditional research of Water Margin,this research will innovate from the aspect of literary concept,making its image as the organic composition of the novel,namely the new literary concept of "'Language-Image' Intertextuality",which distinctly differentiates from the traditional research of Water Margin.Based on the premise of the combination between historical and logical research methods,this paper begins with the imaging history of Water Margin,follows the line of important propositions in the research of Water Margin,adheres to the concept of"'Language-Image' Intertextuality" and refers to relevant images,then makes the detailed analysis and deep elaboration to those questions.First,through the investigation to the imaging history of Water Margin from the technological point of view,the author thinks that the three periods within the novel are also the three forms of the whole literary imaging:The "Freehand image" of Water Margin by hand painting,includes wood block,picture-story book and literati painting;The "Mechanical-drawn image" of Water Margin by the drawing machines referring primarily to the teleplay and movie;The "Digital-drawn image" by the digital technology which namely refer to the online game of Water Margin.The imaging history of Water Margin reveals that the viewing results between "Image in position viewing" and "Performative image" are very different.Second,this paper finds that the images of Water Margin present the explanation from kind of "enigmatic language" after analyzing the key plot of "Zhao an"(??)in Water Margin,The reason is that the image producer not only consider the painting of "Zhao an" should be included or not,but also how to paint.The truth is most illustrations in the images of Ming Dynasty reduced the drawing on the contradiction of "Zhao an" so as to avoid the query and objection to "Zhao an" among Liangshan Marsh.Furthermore,those images weakened the horrified effect of heroes' sacrifice.Generally speaking,the literary images of Water Margin approved the praise from imperial power and also conveyed the discontent of Songjiang's death.Third,the themes of Water Margin belong to the Confucian ideology.As a fictitiously pointed symbol,the images well expound the themes by its unique function of commendation.Let's take "righteousness"(“?”)as an example,which contains various kinds of themes.The images of fictitiously pointed characteristic mix the boundary line of different types.Besides,the image commendation includes two parts:"righteousness" of positive commendation which accords with the Confucian ideology and "unrighteousness" of negative commendation.Therefore,the images beautify the "righteousness" and also uglify the "unrighteousness",which create the distinct contraction and strong comparison between them.As a result,people always make such value evaluation that as long as it belongs to "righteousness",it is right and good and vice versa.Fourth,the attention of shaping to the figures' character is the integral feature of Chinese classical novel,which is also the important reason why Water Margin well received by readers.The elements of character was summarized as "disposition","temperament","shape" and "accent" by Jin Shengtan.However,given the difference between tangible and intangible,these elements can not be visualized in the image,especially the intangible elements of character,which only can be seen by the rhetoric of the image.Further study shows that the prototype of "Collective Unconsciousness"can only impact the "Theme Goes First" of image producer but the simple "double combination" of heroes' character in Water Margin leads to the stylized image.Finally,the essence of novel is narrative,and the language and image are two different "storytellers",namely "Speaking" and "Ekphrasis".The relationship between "Speaking" and "Ekphrasis" is mainly embodied in consistency or mismatch of time and space,which includes narrative standpoint and narrative structure at macro level,and includes narrative perspective,rhythm and frequency at specific level.Being different with "Speaking" the literary images of Water Margin do a lot on narrative pause intentionally.Such as the "scenery shot" in the teleplay and movie,for one part is the presence and empathy of the novel figure,for the other is the absence of novel figure is in the scenery shot.Therefore,this aesthetic antinomy determines the understanding of figures' character to audiences and it benefits from the foil of lyric in narrative pause to a large extent.In addition to the five questions mentioned above,other questions in the research of Water Margin can also be deepened in the view of "'Language-Image,Intertextuality" and the reference to images.What's more,as far as the research ductility is concerned,the "novel narratology" with Chinese characteristics is both constructed by the novel comment and illustration.And the comparative study between the language and image on semiology level deserves a further study.There is no doubt that the idea and method of "The Research of novel Imaging" has positive implications to the literary theory in "Image Time".