The Nanjing Narrative In "The Scholars"

There are a lot of narratives about Nanjing in the novel The Scholars.Almost half of the length of the book is related to Nanjing.In his creation,the author has involved people,scenic spots and ritual activities in Nanjing.The first chapter of the thesis focuses on the Nanjing people.It analyses the typical character characteristics of Nanjing people,namely the "smoke and water of the Six Dynasties",which is pointed out by Du Shenqing.It traces back to the origin,and combines the spiritual temperament of scholars in the Wei,Jin and Six Dynasties to analyze the relics of the Six Dynasties in Nanjing.Secondly,it focuses on the literati activities in Nanjing.In his novel,Wu Jingzi describes these large and small gatherings of literati,such as Mochou Lake Congress,Taibo Temple sacrifice,etc.,and the small ones such as literati banquet.These activities not only depict many literati images and promote the development of novel plots,but also reflect the life of Nanjing literati in Ming and Qing Dynasties.The second chapter focuses on the performance of Nanjing etiquette and custom in the novel The Scholars.Taking the plot of the novel as a clue and combining with other documents,this paper explores the etiquette and customs of Nanjing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The description of etiquette and custom involved in the novel can be divided into three categories: wedding and funeral etiquette,sacrificial rites and other folk activities in Nanjing.Marriage and funeral ceremonies are generally similar across the country,but in terms of specific details,the unique features of Nanjing can be seen.The novel also expresses folk activities such as the Zhongyuan Festival in the Qinhuai River in Nanjing and the Tibetan Club in the Qingliang Mountain.Through the study,it is easy to find that the Nanjing etiquette and custom depicted in the novel coincide with other documents and records,not the plot completely imagined by the author,but also Wu Jingzi’s rigorous attitude towards realism in his novel creation.In addition,the Tabor Temple sacrifice is the climax of the plot of the novel.Famous scholars of Confucianism hope to study etiquette to achieve the goal of assisting political teachers and changing the world style.Chapter three of the thesis mainly describes the appearance of Nanjing City in The History of Scholars.Nanjing’s natural landscape,historical building relics,and cultural landscape closely related to the imperial examination are all reflected in the novel by the author.This paper studies the natural landscape of Nanjing in the novel,and its role in the characters and plots of the novel,based on the relevant records of local chronicles and historical maps.At the same time,Wu Jingzi’s description of Nanjing scenery is not confined to the novel.He also created a group of poems about Nanjing scenery,Jinling Scenic Poems,which can corroborate with the Nanjing scenery described in The History of Scholars.In addition,as a major imperial examination state,Nanjing has created many unique cultural landscapes,such as the popularity and prosperity of opera performances for literati’s entertainment and the unique imperial examination culture circle in Nanjing.The last chapter of the thesis is a comparison between Nanjing Writing and Scholars in other fictions of the Ming and Qing dynasties.Other novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties also have narratives of Nanjing.These novels also show many aspects of Nanjing,such as its political,economic and cultural status in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,its natural and cultural landscape,and its distinctive Qinhuai romantic culture.This article focuses on comparing the narrative of Nanjing in The History of Scholars with that of other novels.It mainly analyses and explains the presentation of Nanjing in the novel and the author’s emotional attitude.The author holds that the narrative of Nanjing in Wu Jingzi’s The History of Scholars is different from other novels in that the author’s life ideal,humanistic ideal and political ideal are entrusted to Nanjing in the novel.