The Images Of The Monarchs In The Narrative Of Shi Class During The Warring States

During the Spring and Autumn Period,the patriarchal system collapsed,and the power structure linked by blood ties was difficult to sustain.The Warring States monarchs needed to utilize talented lower class individuals to strengthen their monarchy internally and to cope with external competition among vassal states.The transition from a fiefdom to a salary system enabled the Shi class to break away from the shackles of their possessions economically and gain relatively free mobility.The Shi class also hopes to expand their influence on real politics through the monarch.The Warring States literature embodies the common requirements of the Shi class for the monarch to "respect and nurture the wise" everywhere.The special symbiotic relationship between the Warring States monarch and the Shi class makes it important to analyze the image of the monarch in the narrative of the Warring States Shi class.In the narrative of the Shi class,the image of the monarch is often presented in two forms: first,as a warning in political discourse;One is as a specific character in a dramatic little story.The former is a historical narrative,with the Shi class rewriting the image of the first kings who was diligent in politics and worshipped gods in early literature.In the Warring States literature,the most important advantages of the ancient kings were their unrestrained use of personnel and their courtesy to the wise.In the explanation of the historical reasons for the demise of the tyrant,the aspect of his autocratic and abusive nature has also been particularly emphasized.Shi class use specific narrative strategies to transform ancient history into their insinuation of reality.The latter is a kind of plot narrative,in which the stories of the interaction between the monarchs and their ministers told by the Shi class often show some stereotyped "cliches",and even duplicate dialogues appear repeatedly.These typical story patterns also reflect the potential psychological aspirations of the Shi class.Within the Shi class,there are also differences in the image of monarchs in the literature of different schools.The questioning plot in Confucian and Mohist literature,the sharp contrast between hermits and monarchs in Zhuangzi,the dwarfing or deification of monarchs by disciples,strategists,and yin and yang alchemists,as well as the "sage" in Laozi,and the decisive and promising image of a new type of autocratic monarch in Hanfeizi,all reflect the way school representatives speak when interacting with monarchs.As the authors of the Warring States prose,the Shi class is an active subject connecting social times and "works".The interests of the class affect their organization of narration,and the image of the monarch is shaped in this process.It is not only a means of lobbying by the Shi class,but also the spiritual self satisfaction of them.