Military Counselor Warlock Phenomenon. Yuan, Ming And Qing Vernacular Fiction

The integration of two images of military advisor and sorcerer is a commonplace in the vernacular Chinese novels in the dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing, but there are few theses and works deliberating upon this subject. Starting with text analysis and study on historical and cultural backgrounds, this paper is intended to study on the textual morphological features of integration between the roles of sorcerer and military advisor reflected in novels, as well as the influence of external environment in its forming process. The intended study method for this paper is to start with the text of novel, combine the materials and theories related to military history, religious history and literature and arts, and incorporate text analysis and analogue of historical literature to study such literary phenomenon.Except the preface and the conclusion, the paper is divided into five chapters. The first and second chapters analyze some"plots of matching magical powers of military advisors"selected from about ten novels in the way related to narratology, so as to sum up several features of such plots in the narrative mode. The third chapter begins with such views as records in the historical documents regarding sorcerer's participation in military activities, Shushu philosophy used in military strategies and tactics, and sacrificial rites on Tai Gong's Temple in the past dynasties to discuss the learning of novel plots from the historical reality. The fourth chapter, based on the historical fact that both Taoism and vernacular Chinese novels in Yuan Dynasty were very prosperous, expounds the reason why most images of military advisor in the novels are tinged with element of Taoist, and the significant role of Taoism in the forming of such literary phenomenon of integration between the roles of sorcerer and military advisor. The fifth chapter emphasized on the sources of"plots of matching magical powers of military advisors"in the reality and reckons that the confrontation against the government army in the process of rising of folk religion gives birth to the novels in such subject.The significance of study on this thesis is that it makes a contribution to understanding the production process of novel and the role of historical and cultural backgrounds in the novelists'artistic creation by discussion on representation of and forming reasons for a certain specific subjects of novel. Meanwhile, the whole process of relevant classical novels from birth, prosperity to declination can be detected from such novel phenomenon.