A Study Of The Wen Family In Suzhou From Late Ming To Qing Period

In order to discuss the variation of the Wen family in Suzhou, known as a prominent family, during the late Ming and Qing period, this thesis studies the historical process of the decline of this family. The writing process of the Wen family genealogy in the mid-Qing period is narrated by collecting and organizing material. The pedigree of the family members whom this thesis referred to and the state of extant books written by family members during the late-Ming and Qing period are unscrambled according to the genealogy. This thesis divides the late-Ming and Qing era into three periods and in the three periods, representative and noted family members, comprise Wen Zhenmeng, Wen Zhenheng, Wen Bing, Wen Cheng, Wen Congjian, Wen Nan, Wen Guo, Wen Dian, Wen Shan and Wen Han, are discussed. By the methods of textual research and poetic research and the theories of idea history and historiography, the thesis focuses on lives and ideas of these family members and expounds the variation of the family and efforts the later Wen family members, as Wen Han, made to revive family and delves the disaster of the Wen family happened at the juncture of Ming-Qing transition. Via analyzing life experience and ideas of representative family members, the history of this family and views from other people and referencing the theories, theorized by Jacques Lacan, about gaze and the relation of ego and other, this thesis cites three others, Tao Yuanming, Wen Tianxiang, Wen Zhengming, that played important roles in the Wen family members’self-identification from the late-Ming to Qing. The thesis consider that the history of the Wen family in the late-Ming and Qing period was covered by deep shadows of the three others. As the father-law, these others influenced the development of the Wen family. At last, this thesis analyzes the "family style" and the cause of the family decline as well and points out that the decline of the family may be due to the decrease of the family members and the failure of the imperial examination. Using the "family style" as a term to describe the general quality of the Wen family maybe overlooks the complicacy among the Wen family members, the view is raised.