The Comparative Study Of Tang Dynasty Novels And Subjectrelated Ming And Qing Dynasty Dramas

Novels of Tang Dynasty(one of the greatest dynasties in ancient China) provide rich writing sources for dramatists both in Ming and Qing Dynasty. One of the ways for its historical transmutation is the creations of dramatists in Ming and Qing Dynasty, which perform the same stories in different art forms. In this paper, the author tries to discuss the comparative study of Tang novels and dramas in Ming and Qing Dynasty, which tells the same stories through the method of both macroexamination and microexamination, the combination of styles, documents and cultures, and comparative study to analyze the ideological and cultural connotation and artistic styles in these two literary genres. We strive to remove boundaries between them and explore the trace of the transmutation in different periods and literary forms.We discuss the different ideological and cultural connotations between Tang and Ming and Qing Dynasty which have the same subject, to study the great impact of contemporary culture on cultural mentality, and the impact on the various forms in author’s works. That is bilateral interaction, which is to comprehend literature from cultural point of view, and to comprehend culture from literary view. Comparing texts we will deeply understand and grasp the relation between culture and literature in different periods of Tang and Ming Qing Dynasty.The former four chapters lay emphasis on comparing love and marriage novels with heroes’ novels. The text will be thoroughly analyzed and case study will be taken as the main research method. The last three chapters lay emphasis on comparing the familiar subjects in Tang novels and dramas in Ming and Qing Dynasty, and they conduct the research on comparing their cultural backgrounds, creative arts and ideological and cultural connotation.In Chapter One, the author tries to study the creation of supernatural novels and Ming and Qing dramas. Tang Dynasty supernatural novels influenced Ming and Qing supernatural dramas deeply. The influences of Taoism biography, Song and Yuan Dynasty vernaculars and long vernaculars novels to Ming and Qing dramas should be noticed. In Ming and Qing dramas, supernatural dramas, the authors express their dissatisfaction with the society and their ambition of saving the people who lives in poverty.Creation of Tang Dynasty love and marriage novels and Ming and Qing dramas will be analyzed in Chapter Two. Most of the Tang Dynasty love and marriage novels are tragedies. However, Ming and Qing dramas present the polarization trend between good and evil. Both ethic and love themes are presented in dramas. The love and marriage concept in real world is presented in changed ways.Chapter Three is about the creation of Tang Dynasty heroes’ novel and Ming and Qing dramas. Heroes in Tang Dynasty novels show their characters of loyalty, filial piety, supernatural. Chivalrous spirits are greatly developed in Ming and Qing dramas. In the meanwhile heroes’ novels, love and marriage novels and supernatural novels trend to be integrated.Chapter Four is the study of creation of Tang Dynasty novel and Tang Xianzu. The author Tang Xianzu adapts Tang Dynasty novels under the direction of “ZhiQing Theory”. In Tang Xianzu’s works, the characters are reformed, the conflicts are transformed. His dramas present his talent and emotion, reflect conflict between emotion and rationality. His works contain idea of Buddhism and Taoism,and in the meantime highly praise true love and emotion. By the mean of dreams, Tang Xianzu tells stories in which he appeals to incorrupt government and denies corrupt officialdom. In his dramas, he implies persuasion and education, in the meantime expresses his own sensation.Chapter Five focuses on the comparative study of Tang Dynasty’s novels and traditional Chinese dramas’ creative characteristics. In terms of the creation theory, the Tang Dynasty novel theory lags behind the creation, however, Ming and Qing dynasty drama theories were Prosperous. In dealing with the relationship between emptiness and reality, Tang Dynasty novels applied artistic fabrication and its style becomes independent. Ming and Qing dynasty dramas are combination of reality and romantic imagination and they inherit Tang Dynasty novel’s creation orientation of combination of emptiness and reality. Strange affairs are rarely used in Tang Dynasty novels while Ming and Qing dramas use strange affairs greatly. But they all changed toward the ordinary life. Tang novels and Ming and Qing dramas had been influenced by epic and biography literature, reflecting the concept of “complement the missing items of history”. We can understand the Ming and Qing Dynasty scholars’ evaluation to Tang novels through drama criticism. As a narrative art, the descriptive styles of Tang novels are different from the mouthpiece style of Ming and Qing dramas, but novels have a great influence on dramas. Tang Dynasty novels influence Ming and Qing dramas in both direct and indirect ways. “Presentation style” of Tang Dynasty novels’ narrative methods has drama elements and this style has an impact on the Ming and Qing dramas creation. In terms of characterization, Tang novels presented a change trend of complex characters toward the grace and ideal, the characters who developed with plot change into stock characters. Dramas pay more attention to the expression of the characters’ emotions.In chapter six, we focus on the cultural connotations comparative study of the Tang Dynasty novels and Ming and Qing Dynasty dramas, in concept of love and marriage, literatures in Tang Dynasty show their talents and unrestrained characteristics. Ming and Qing dramas meet the need of emotion’s expression and perform the infatuation and allegiance of the characters. Tang Dynasty novels emphasize family status, but they emphasize the nature of the love between men and women. However, Ming and Qing dramas stress the importance of family status’ match and it also stresses that marriage should base on love. Tang novels were revised in accordance with Ming and Qing dramas and they highlight women’s chastity concept and stress women’s conscious recognition in social etiquette and norms. In chivalrous concept, some order naysayers and heroes of Tang Dynasty became alienate. Vindicator in Ming and Qing dramas, and they were justice force to get rid of the evil forces and they present the feature of strengthening shinto. In religion, Tang novels present the characteristics of supernatural model and persuasion model.The seventh chapter focuses on cultural background of original and adaption novels and dramas.The compatible policy of Tang Dynasty stands in sharp contrast to the strengthening of the cultural restriction in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Tang novels reflect the generosity and confidence in politics at that time, three major religions(Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism) coexisted and there are the different ways for intellectuals to get their official career. In contrast, with the same subjects, dramas in Ming and Qing preferred to depict historical events rather than the latest ones. Dramatists tended to strengthen the NeoConfucianism and add melancholy as a result of failing to be an officer. In cultural mentality aspect, scholars in Tang Dynasty are confident and selfassertion, but scholars became rational in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Although they are affected by the trend of liberation of individual personality in late Ming Dynasty, they still focused on maintaining traditional virtues and became conservative.