A Psychological Analysis On San Yan Sentimental Fiction Characters

During the late Ming Dynasty, many political, economic and cultural changes had occurred. These changes transformed every aspects of people’s life and caused the creation of ancient Chinese fictions and drama to reach its new height. After the Southern Song Dynasty, along with the southward moving of the economical centre and the cultural centre, the vernacular novels grew rapidly in the south Yangtze River area and became mature in the Ming Dynasty. During the late Ming Dynasty, San Yan, which is a vernacular novel written by Feng Meng Long, is regarded as the summit in the field of vernacular novel. In San Yan, Feng Meng Long discussed the theme of love and marriage in great detail, revealing the psychological realm of the people who are in love and marriage. In this thesis, Sigmund Freud’s theory of Id, Ego and Superego is applied to discuss how Feng Meng Long’s idea of Education Based on Affection is reflected in the creation of the characters in San Yan. The first chapter examines the formation process of the idea of Education Based on Affection and to show that affection between lovers can be rightfully expressed in the frame of old moral values in ancient China. Also, Freud’s theory of Id, Ego and Super-ego is applied to show that Feng Meng Long’s idea of Affection is similar to Id, of which both represent the innermost part of human being.The second chapter analyzes how the idea of Education Based on Affection is embedded in San Yan romantic stories. Two well-known stories from San Yan are selected. One of which is compared with its previous versions; another is compared with The Widow of Ephesus.The third chapter examines the methods used in revealing the psychological realm of people in love and marriage, and its influence on the development of the stories in San Yan.In conclusion, my thesis summarizes the methods used by Feng Meng Long in unveiling the psychological realm of people in love and marriage; it also brings insight into the ancient Chinese psyche in late Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, this thesis lists the major achievements in the character psychological field that Feng Meng Long obtained in writing San Yan. Lastly, this thesis proves that Feng Meng Long contributed significantly to the literature world in ancient China in the area of characterization. The methods of characterization demonstrated in San Yan focuses on revealing the inner world of the individual characters, which is a huge break-through from the generalization of the characters.