The Writing Of Foreign Objects In Novels Before The Tang Dynasty

Images of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty were closely related to the origin and development of Chinese novels.Since Biography of Emperor Mu and Classic of Mountains and Rivers,the theme of strange overseas products has been one of the most important contents in Chinese novels.There were many bizarre and various images of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty,and the writing of these images showed the ancient people’s thinking and expression of the strange material world in a concentrated way.Under the concrete and subtle images,it also contained rich and distant historical culture and folk religious elements.The theme of stories of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty focused on images.But compared with other literary forms,such images in the novels still showed obvious literary characteristics.Therefore,by researching images of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty,Chinese novels,especially the upstream environment of the occurrence and development of novels are sorted out and studied.This paper aims to explore the unique literary expression and cultural connotation of stories themed on fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty.For example,where did such images in the novel come from,and what kind of literary writing was adopted?What were the narrative features,unique plots,and typical characters of stories themed on fantastic overseas products in the novels?What historical and cultural factors influenced the emergence and development of such novels,and what kind of cultural connotation and aesthetic interest did they carry?Besides,this paper tries to further reveal the occurrence and development of Chinese novels before the Tang Dynasty through the topic of the writing of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty,to provide new ideas and new directions for novel research.Through the distinction and discussion of many typical images,and combined with many related literature and interdisciplinary knowledge,this paper draws the following conclusions on the above issues:The concept of fantastic overseas products came from the general description of fantastic overseas products,especially those in Western regions,in the official history.The fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty were often based on the prototype of fantastic overseas products in real life.Therefore,many novels themed on fantastic overseas products before the Tang Dynasty appeared,which should have a close causal relationship with the opening and development of the Silk Road.Secondly,the more ancient tradition of natural science,especially the concept of fantastic products in the tradition of natural science,was the ideological source of the theme of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty.Biography of Emperor Mu and Classic of Mountains and Rivers,literatures before the Qin Dynasty with a strong concept of fantastic products,provided important procedures and materials for the literary writing of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty.Thirdly,there were many various images of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty.The connotations of these images were often closely related to the history and culture before the Tang Dynasty.Typical cultural matters such as witches and ghosts,Buddhism and Taoism,and folk customs played an important role behind these novel images,and at the same time enriched the purport and implication of the novel.Fourthly,the stories of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty also featured tending to take shape in literary narrative skills.The skills were mainly the appearance and plot settings interwoven with reality and fantasy,the narrative style paying attention to details and potential meanings,promotion of plot development by images,and improvements in the presentation of the narrative procedure,structure,and perspective,etc.Fifthly,although the stories of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty focused on images,the shaping of characters was also considered in such stories.Among them,images such as kings infatuated with fantastic overseas products,messengers presenting fantastic overseas products,courtiers knowing fantastic overseas products well,and even combinations of characters,all showed three-dimensional and vivid images in the plots of such novels.Through the interaction between these characters and images,the conflicting plots caused by them also successfully showed the humanity and thoughts that the stories intended to express.Sixthly,highlighting fantasy was the core aesthetic pursuit of the stories of fantastic overseas products in novels before the Tang Dynasty.In addition,by displaying conflicting plots,such as the survival or death of images and the gains and losses of characters,it can also bring readers a rich aesthetic experience,such as surprise,regret,and sadness.Through overturning such literary writing,the spread of stories and the independence of novel styles were promoted.