Primary Study On Knowledge Values Of Prostitute Novels In The End Of Qing Dynasty

Prostitute novels in Shanghai in the late Qing Dynasty are not highly valued in ideology and aesthetics. But resurveying them from the perspective of historical changes and thoughts changes, you will find that these works pay attention to and participate in the process of urbanization of modern Shanghai in the form of literature. These works have knowledge values. The values of sociology and culture are showed in these novels which earliest reveal the tendency of urbanization of modem Shanghai and earliest convey the information of socio-cultural transformation. Their coming into being and their development are closely related with social changes in Shanghai Concession in the late Qing Dynasty. Bing in the foreland position in China's opening, Shanghai's culture and ethic had gradually disintegrated, while penetrated by the civilization of the west. Thus, the life style, behavior pattern and thoughts of literati and prostitutes changed greatly.This paper attempts to make a general study on how to describe and present the trend of urbanization of modern Shanghai mainly through the textual analysis of four typical works: Sing-song Girls of Shanghai, Hai Tian Hong Xue ji, The Dream of Shanghai Flourishing, Turtle with Nine Tails, and with the help of historical evidence and theoretical interpretation. The body of the paper is discussed from three aspects: 1. the new look of modern Shanghai presented in those novels which is reflected by the double changes of material environment and life style; 2. the modern urban people with clear consciousness of profession in the process of social turning created in the novels; 3. the trend of ideological urbanization in the socio-cultural transformation, namely, human being's modernization. Although most of Prostitute novels are only second-rate and third-rate and were produced to cater to vulgar tastes of philistine urban residents, they were not separated from the quickly-changing society, still reflecting people's thoughts, ideas and minds shaped by mixing up old and new factors in the changing society, which is the key of the paper. I hope to witness transformation by literature.