"the Scholars" Stereotyped Writing System Research

As a novel of critiquing the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing, The Scholars undoubtedly helps us more clearly know the system then, and understand the social morals under such system. The vast descriptions of imperial examination activities and the human relationships during the age provide a rich material for the studies of the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing during the Ming and Qing times. Based on the text with analysis of the imperial examination activities and related social phenomena, by using methods of novel and historiography mutual confirmation and interpreting imperial examination activities and phenomena, the thesis explores the author's view on the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing and expounds and analyses the positive factors and reasons of such system. This thesis chooses The Scholars, History of Ming Dynasty Election and Draft History of Qing Dynasty Election as the basic research materials and relevant research results on The Scholars and the study of imperial examination as supplementary materials, and other documents such as the notes of the Ming and Qing dynasties as references. Except the introduction and epilogue, the thesis is divided into three chapters:Chapter one interprets imperial examination activities and related social phenomena described in the book The Scholars. This chapter consists of three parts:the first part expounds imperial examination activities mentioned in The Scholars, such as prefectural examinations, provincial examinations and national examinations, as well as the relevant social phenomena, such as editing of eight-part essays, cheating in imperial examinations. The second section addresses of the characteristics of cheating in imperial examinations, namely, the cheating occurred mostly in prefectural examinations, like tests in county government office and institution office, left no description of which in higher level examinations. The third part is in discussion of the relationship between the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing in The Scholars and that in history.Chapter Two discusses the criticism to the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing in The Scholars. This chapter contains three sections:the first section discusses scholars' pompous style of study caused by the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing. Since the exam content is monotonous, extent narrow and its great temptation to wealth and fame, scholars spare no effort to the examinations without paying any attention on other stuff. Thus inevitably makes their abilities to earn a living gradually become weaker and weaker. The second section discusses the conflicts between the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing and Confucian ethics. That is, the three conflicts between imperial examinations and traditional filial piety, "pecking order" and Confucian funeral rites respectively. In the third section, the thesis discusses that scholars, under the influence of such system, indulge solely in eight-part essay writing and lack moral sense.Chapter Three shares positive factors of the system of Selecting Officials by Stereotyped Eight-legged Essay Writing emerged in The Scholars. This chapter is composed by two parts: the first part discusses the fairness of the system from the open of examination qualification, the justice and strictness of marking, and the impartiality of recruiting on the basis of the text. The second part analyses that characterized with simple content, invariable scope and fixed style of the examination, such system reduces the test difficulty and cost and boosts the cultural education development of the whole society since abundant people from lower class join in the army of intellectuals.