Unreliable Strange Record And Niu Sengru’s Sentiment Of The Literati

As one of most famous legend novels by Niu Sengru, Unreliable Strange Record has a major influence on the history of fiction in classical Chinese novels. Many works in Unreliable Strange Record’ touch upon Buddhist karma, fatalism and Taoist magic arts. Besides these religious themes, it also shows different feelings which are owned by the special community of the literati. This different sentiment of the literati is not only showed between the lines in Unreliable Strange Record, but also expressed in the real inward world of Niu Sengru. In consideration of the researches about Unreliable Strange Record which are focus on the aspects of version circulations, written time, works attribution and so on, the author synthesizes predecessors’research achievement and regards Niu Sengru’s sentiment of the literati as the point of penetration for conducting and stating a study on Unreliable Strange Record.Two major divisions:First division:Introduction. The author has read a large number of monographs about the Tang legend, which have statement and research more or less to Unreliable Strange Recordby Niu Sengru in many works. Meanwhile, predecessors have published large amount of journal articles which are based on researching Unreliable Strange Record. The author has done up these research results during reading and studying. Actually, it is mostly concentrating upon the aspects of version circulations, written time, works attribution and so on concerning the study of Unreliable Strange Record. Because of the blank space in research orientation about Unreliable Strange Record and Niu Sengru’s sentiment of the literati, the author combines the life experience of Niu Sengru with the version of Unreliable Strange Record, to make a deep interpretation to this novel. In introduction, the author states briefly about the research about Unreliable Strange Record. He makes a simple definition about the sentiment of the literati as well.Second division:Main part (including four chapters). Chapter One:Niu Sengru Unreliable Strange Record and the mentality of literati at late Tang Dynasty. The author introduces Niu Sengru’s lifetime and the version of Unreliable Strange Record. Linking to historical background, the author also states five aspects one by one about the mentality of literati in mid to late Tang Dynasty. Chapter Two:Unreliable Strange Record and the ideal of becoming an immortal by Niu Sengru. The author states the ideal of becoming an immortal from two aspects which are the ideal of an immortal and the feelings of a hermit.Chapter Three:Unreliable Strange Record and the elegant tastes of Niu Sengru. The elegant tastes divide into two parts:the interest of writing contains three aspects to explain including humorous, talent and "intended for the novel"; the interest of temperament expresses the feelings of literati from different sides, pleasures of banquets, dazzling of young talent, alcoholic drinking with poem games, the fashion of chess,Chikuma wit, the interest of house furnishings and so on. Chapter Four:Unreliable Strange Record and the whims of Niu Sengru. It is showed out fancy of Niu Sengru’s imagination From two aspects.Third division:Conclusion.