Yuan And Ming Dynasty Literati Image And Playwright Mentality Change

As the main body of creative work of Yuan and Ming complex dramas, literati are somewhat limit to the creative work of complex dramas. The characters, plot and the spirit of the dramatists are interrelated in the complex dramas while the common mood of the literati restricts the development of complex dramas. Simultaneously, the development of complex dramas is constant and vicissitudinous. As the carrier of the spirit of literati, complex dramas present the tracks of their mood. Hence, my study is to follow the historical sequence which is also the development of complex dramas. The object of the study is literati images presenting in complex dramas written by dramatists of Yuan and Ming Dynasty. The author endeavors to analyze from the aspects of livelihood, temperament and value orientation so as to fine out the common mood of literati and the relation among the images of literati in complex dramas and to dig the essential factors which influence the development of complex dramas of Yuan and Ming Dynasty.At the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, the literati group was pushed to the border of politics and culture. The accomplishment of the individual value was like a dream unable to realize. The full affirmation of individual values, however, is the distinguishing characteristic of the images of literati at that time. Complex dramas usually cherish the memory and admiration of the traditional culture of the central plain of China to illustrate literati from all the aspects, presenting wits of literary, emotion and personal loyalty. Dramatists accepted and resisted the transformation of culture so that complex dramas at the beginning of Yuan Dynasty revealed strong critical spirit. When reflecting on themselves with great concerns, they revealed bravely as well as mentioned carefully about the weaknesses of literati.In the middle of Yuan Dynasty, the status of the literati who were used to its political circumstances had not changed fundamentally. But with the restoration and discontinuation of civil service examination system hopes and discouragements alternatively constructed the main line of the mentality of literati then. The images of poor scholars were decreasing while there were more cool and objective thoughts on fame and gain as well as hesitation about the choice of official and implicitness. The norm of life accomplishment definitely turned to concerns of moral values. Just among the rediscovering of fame and gain, literati examined and figured out the norm and laws strictly abided by them. Faith and personal loyalty were dug by dramatists at that time, which became the advantage that revealed the character enchantment of literati.At the turn of Yuan and Ming Dynasty, the literati had experienced the alternation of dynasties and their status had been improved. But as the deterrence of high-handed cultural policies, the mentality of literati tended to be escaping the disasters and deference which greatly weakened the group of literati as well as complex dramatists. With the guidance of seignior dramatists, complex dramas concerned little about the literati, in which most of the characters were foils and the personalities of the characters were weakened to a great degree and the images were gloomy. Dramas showed the gradual decreasing trend in the development with the characteristic of entertaining the nobles and serving for Confucian civilization.In the middle of Ming Dynasty, influenced by factors from many aspects such as politics, economics and mentalities, the individual sense of literati were aroused. The common mentality of literati at that time was freely pursuing unique life and resisting decorum. In complex dramas, strong self-sense stood out the illustration of literati, revealing a group of egotistical and gentle images who stand head and shoulders above all others and filling with news thoughts on traditional value system.In the latter of Ming Dynasty, corruption was spreading and the society was decayed. The filed of thoughts lost the authority and mainstream. The mentality of literati tended to be complicated and diverse. Restoration was a new trend of the mentality of literati. The literati with a heart of salvation looked back on tradition and proposed Confucian, hoping to rescue the society and morality by reconstructing the authority of Confucian. Then the illustration of literati was meticulous, which full of praise as well as pity for talents. In the hope of salvation for the society, literati were searching for the possibility of realizing one's individual value and presenting the complex mood of literati of the last phase of Dynasty.From Yuan Dynasty to Ming Dynasty, complex dramas were in decline from the stages to the scripts. The images of literati were in the process of walking from the society to the schoolroom. Although in the latter part of Ming Dynasty, the characters showed the signs of returning the stages and the society, the fate of decline could not be changed. As their special status in literature, complex dramas factually recorded the innermost of those dramatists. Therefore, in the process of the development of complex dramas, the direct influence of the mentality of the dramatists on the characters was always tangled so much that it influenced the development direction of the whole complex dramas.