| Liaozhai Zhiyi and Yuewei Cottage Notes are two masterpieces of the weird novel of the Qing dynasty,the lower literati play an important part in Liaozhai Zhiyi and Yuewei Cottage Notes,but they are different.The lower literati were composed of pupils and scholars.They tried to do their best in the imperial examination,but they failed and unable to achieve ambitions,so they had low social status.Compared with Liaozhai,the lower literati of Yuewei lived in a poor life.Pu Songling created the ideal ways of getting rich for lower literati in his book such as business or sought help for women,Ji Yun had recorded their reality more realistically.Both of two books have some chapters about the imperial examination of lower literati.Pu Songling had incorporated his feelings into his works,the lower literati in Liaozhai Zhiyi were often talented but difficult to be the top scholar in the imperial examination.Pu Songling criticized intensely the inability of examiner and the corruption of the imperial examination.As a literacy scribe in Qing Dynasty,Ji Yun had served as an examiner for the imperial examination many times.He stood on a higher place overlooking the lower literati,he believed that their misfortunes were closely related to their own destiny,lack of conduct and lack of learning.Love and marriage are also important aspects of the life of the lower literati.Because of the author’s living environment and personal differences,the lower literati in Liaozhai and Yuewei also show a completely different view of love.In heterosexuality,the lower literati in Liaozhai advocated the freedom of love and marriage,they also payed attention to the talent of female and the feeling of confidant.Ji Yun didn’t recognize the love story between the scholars and the foxes in Liaozhai,therefore,the lower literati in Yuewei payed more attention to the affection of the husbands and wives.For the homosexuality between the lower literati,Pu Songling recognized the love between then so he was more tolerant but the disciplinary opposition of Ji Yun was even more intense.Pu Songling wrote the book with a talented personality,the lower literati in Liaozhai implied his sustenance.Therefore Pu Songling was extremely meticulous in character description and even name setting,and he achieved a personalized character shaping.Compared with the aesthetic value,Ji Yun payed more attention to the practical function of the novel.Yuewei Cottage Notes has a good head for arguments and comments,so the character of the lower literati is slightly thin,which is also the embodiment of the author’s different creative concepts and methods. |
