Ping Yao Biography "research

Sansui Pingyao zhuan which is also called Pingyao zhuan (Taming Devils) is the first novel on spirits and devils in the history of Chinese literature. It was drawn from the uprising of Wang Ze during Song Dynasty under the reign of emperor Ren. So this novel was written based on historical facts, combining folk myths, legends, as well as the predecessors of this novel. It was completed in the early Ming Dynasty, consisting of 20 chapters. With later additions in the late Ming Dynasty, it was expanded to 40 chapters and gradually replaced the previous version of 20 chapters.As the pioneer of chapter-novel (traditional Chinese novels with captions for each chapter) in Chinese literature, pingyao zhuan exerted a far-reaching influence on series of later novels on spirits and devils such as Journey to the West. Meanwhile, after being transmitted to other neighboring countries such as Japan and Korea, it also exercised a positive impact on novel creations of this type in these countries. So in this sense, it is of great significance to carry out a thorough study of this novel. At the same time, previous studies only confined themselves to discussions of different versions and the author of this novel. To this day, there is no complete and thorough study concerning this novel. Therefore, it is also necessary to conduct a comprehensive study. Given the afore-mentioned situations, the author of the present dissertation attempts to carry out a thorough study concerning the versions, the author, the artistic achievements, and two different Korean versions of pingyao zhuan.The introductory part of the dissertation mainly focuses on previous studies. There are a large amount of literature on the versions and the author of the novel and researchers have no consensus of opinion concerning these two questions thus far. Therefore, a special section is allocated to introduce the status quo.Chapterâ… mainly discusses the version of this novel. In order to clearly analyze this issue, the author of the dissertation divides two periods which are Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. There are altogether two versions of the type consisting of 20 chapters in Ming Dynasty. These two versions belonged to the same format and were complied during the wanli period. As to the type consisting of 40 chapters, there were also two versions in Ming Dynasty. While in Qing Dynasty, there only existed the version which consisted of 40 chapters.Chapterâ…¡examines the issue of the author of the novel. Although we are not really sure who is the author in the end for the lack of information and evidence, we believe that the signature which reads "Luo Guanzhong" in the 20-chapter version does not suggest that Luo is the real author. Concerning the 40-chapter version, it is generally acknowledged that it is Feng Menglong who supplemented and compiled the original version. The author of the present dissertation agrees to this opinion. From the compiled time one can tell that this novel indicated the start of Feng Menglong's life of novel compilation.Chapter Three delves into the artistic achievements of pingyao zhuan, focusing on the protagonists, the living space of the main characters, and the corresponding themes of the 20-chapter and 40-chapter versions. In order to better carry out the discussion, we classify the protagonists into three categories which are Characters of the Heaven, Characters of the Devil, and Characters of the Mortal based on their corresponding living space. This chapter not only analyzes the images and characteristics of these characters but also expounds on their interrelations. As to the theme of these two different versions, the author of the dissertation holds that they have different inclinations. The 20-chapter version mainly depicts or displays the dissatisfaction and criticism toward the reality, while the 40-chapter version mainly manifests deterministic thoughts.Chapterâ…£examines two different Korean versions. Through detailed comparisons and analysis, it finds the Chinese originals, main translation methods, and the relations between these two versions. To a certain extent, this study is pioneering in the sense that it rectifies previous incorrect thoughts concerning the afore-mentioned issues.Through this study, people can firstly gain a comparatively thorough understanding of pingyao zhuan. It can also play a positive role in understanding novels about spirits and devils and in grasping the panorama of novel creations during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Lastly, it can cast light on the impact of Chinese novels on novel creations of neighboring countries.