Yu Chu Xin Zhi In East Asia

Yu Chu Xin Zhi is an excellent storycollection compiled by the Qing dynasty scholar Zhang Chao.This book has produced great influence on the literature of later generations.It spread to Korea and Japan around th e 18th century and caused quite a stir.However,there has not been a systematic study on the spread of Yu Chu Xin Zhi,especially on its acceptance in Korea.According to this,this thesis is mainly devoted to the investigation of the spread and reception of Yu Chu Xin Zhi in Korea and Japan.First of all,it reveals the phenomenon of book compilation and circulation in China and the process of their spread abroad.Secondly,the book reading and re-creation of readers in the two countries are compared and studied.Based on such investigation,this thesis proceed in the following order.Chapter Ⅱ examines the compilation,publication and reading of Yu Chu Xin Zhi,thus grasping the process of its completion and circulation in China.Through the investigation,we can k.now that the 20-volum e Yu Chu Xin Zhi was first circulated among Zhang Chao’s friends before its publication.Later,after many times of carving,it was greatly welcomed in Southern China,and also found traces of its circulation in Beijing.Chapter Ⅲ compares and analyzes the circulation characteristics of books in the process of the introduction of Yu Chu Xin Zhi into Japan and Korea.First of all.it reveals the different versions of Yu Chu Xin Zhi which were impo rted to Korea by the Korean envoys through land transportation.secondly,it sorts out the situation of Yu Chu Xin Zhi which was imported to Japan by the businessmen through water transportation,and compares and analyzes the differences.Chapter Ⅳ examines the reception patterns of Yu Chu Xin Zhi in Korea and Japan.First of all.it analyzes the reception background of this book in Korea.Secondly,it analyzes the reading phenomenon of Korean literati and the readers’ basic understanding.At last,the readers of the book are classified according to their characteristics.which are illustrated from three aspects:naturalist’s use of the book,novel lovers’ imitation of the book,and some scholars’ concern for the Ming dynasty adherents in the book.At the same time,through the study of the background of Japanese literature we can grasp the Japanese readers’ attitude towards the novel.Secondly,it examines the phenomenon that the readership continues to expand as books are turned over and translated.Finally,the author classifies the imitations and adaptations of the readers and expounds their characteristics respectively.Finally,through a comparative analysis of the acceptance of Yu Chu Xin Zhi in Japan and Korea,it is found that the acceptance of this book in Japan is wider and more active than that in Korea.Yu Chu Xin Zhi has brought more far-reaching influence to the Japanese literary world,which is due to the difference of spread of books and the cultural backgrounds of the two countries.