A Study Of The Narrative Forms In Jin Ping Mei

Jin Ping Mei is a novel with complex idea contents, full of sex descriptions. This dissertation points out that Jin Ping Mei is a work conveying sorrow through festivities. Behind the extreme description of carnal desire, power, and the worship of money, it is actually a novel expressing deep sorrow for the nation, the politics and the home, of which the collusion between officials and merchants is given the top priority in description. Jin Ping Mei is also a book for men of property, warning people of excessive indulgence.In regards to the narrative approach, this dissertation holds that ten chapters compose one narrative unit, where there is a unified narration rule.Within each unit, the seventh chapter is a turning point while the ninth chapter is a climax.There are two clues—history of Ximen's family and the dignitaries'. Ximen and Chen Jingji represent father and son. So it is also a story of two generations.The missing 53-57 chapters are about salt problems, which allude to Yan Song. Because salt monopoly was a sensitive problem at that time, so this part was not lost, but taken away intentionally by the writer.This dissertation asserts that three kinds of narrative perspective exist at the same time, that is, an overlooking view, showing the writer's attitude, a detached point of view, indicating the writing style and"Observe and See through"perspective, which is for the readers.This paper analyses seven characters. This dissertation points out that Ximen is a shark in business and officialdom. Pan Jinlian, like a hornet, is an extreme egomaniac. Li Ping, is a gentle woman in nature. This dissertation analyzes how Song Huilian is portrayed. For Wang Liu, this paper analyses how she is dissimilated by money. For Chen Jingji, the rich second generation, is a representative of dissolute characters. As to Ying Bojue, this paper thinks he is a clown philosopher, a false scholar.This dissertation holds that irony is the main artistic style of the novel. Besides irony, this novel is in a combination of bizarre and realistic styles.Regarding the text style, Jin Ping Mei in fact borrows from Buddhism a 'vulgar' style of language, adding a didactic and religious flavor to the novel. In regards to the language, Jin Ping Mei is of hip-hop nature, fresh and interlocutory nature, which are all closely related with a popular usage of language.