A Comparative Study Of Liaozhai Zhiyi And Yuewei Cottage Notes

Liaozhai Zhiyi and Yuewei Cottage Notes are both weird novel in Qing dynasty.They are same in theme,but different in art style.One is a talented artwork,the other is a rigorous writing.In the process of novel creation,they were in a leadership absolutely.They have had enough confidence to break through the limitations of historical records,which was no longer record or referrals events in see and hear simply,but carefully constructed the novel text under the guidance of the idea of creating weird novels,according with the fictional principles,following the aesthetic ideal and in ordering to achieve aesthetic appeal.Ji Yun had a variety of links with Liaozhai Zhiyi.His friend Dong Yuan-du wrote inscription for Liaozhai Zhiyi,colleagues Yu ji play an important part in Qing Ke Ting engraved version,moreover,his eldest son Ji Ru-ji was very fond of Liaozhai Zhiyi and imitated this work.But Ji Yun didn't like Liaozhai Zhiyi because of them,he blame his son's dead with failure to this novel.During he creating Yuewei Cottage Notes,on the one hand established his own positioning according to the source of writing style,on the other hand made up story against Liaozhai Zhiyi.Because of a variety of reasons such as political,cultural,Ji Yun personal likes and dislikes,Liaozhai Zhiyi did not occupy a place in Siku Quanshu or Siku Quanshu Zongmu,"head",but had been criticized in the small order of Wang Shizhen's Jing Hua Lu.If there was no Liaozhai Zhiyi,there won't be today's Yuewei Cottage Notes.Liaozhai Zhiyi provided an external cause in Ji Yun's work.During Ji's creation,the factors play a decisive role were the author's own ideas and aesthetic demands.Pu Songling and Ji Yun were both traditional intellectuals,the two thinking patterns were influenced by Confucian ethical values more or less.In Confucian traditional culture,the thought direction in recording weird events is explaining the weird in common sense,taking using the weird phenomenon to teach people as an mission,and treating the writing of weird novels as entertainment rather than serious work.Under this influence,Pu Songling and Ji Yun taken using the weird phenomenon to teach people as an mission,but there were much difference.In Pu Songling's mind,the focus of the contradiction was gods.He wrote gods' story but pointed out that gods were made by man at the same time.While,the focus of the contradiction in Ji Yun's mind was that he couldn't make sure of truth and ghost rumors,The contradiction between Ji Yun's concept lies in his contradiction between truth,and always trapped in agnostic situation.Pu Songling treated Liaozhai Zhiyi as career,but Ji Yun was afraid of him would become Dong Hu in ghost.Pu Songling regarded novel creation as prose,free and flexible.Ji Yun 's novel conception was based on the bibliography,and he changed the content of the novel to enhance its practical function.In the fictional principle,Pu Songling took gods and ghosts as a tool to express his own ideas,while in Ji Yun's thought narrative fiction and imagination were reasonable in the novel,but the prerequisite is that the author's fiction must based on realistic reason,and the purpose should be teaching people to be kind.Therefore,The aesthetic ideal of the two was also different,Pu Songling loved the genius writer,and advocated the genius writing style;Ji Yun preferred works using simple language and full of rational wisdom.These difference between their personal experience and the ideal determined their different aesthetic demands.Pu Songling's creation was to express his feelings and reveal his talents,but Ji Yun took broading knowledge,being useful for research and good for social order as the core pursuit.Time and space,events,characters are three indispensable elements in narrative works.They were the main content of the overall idea of the novel.Because of the different aesthetic demands,Pu Songling and Ji Yun construct these three elements in different dimensions,too.The imagination of the space in Liaozhai Zhiyi is varied.Though the basic type inherited from predecessors,the details of imagination has changed,especially the underworld,not only added a lot of details,but also become a continuation of human world,is a mirror reflected the real world.Time imagination also has new change,Mr.Gu for example.Time and space imagination in Yuewei Cottage Notes lacks of details,is only conceptual background of the character activity.Because of Ji Yun's rich knowledge,distant world imagination in his novel already lost mystery.When conceived plot,Pu Songling used both logical and image imagination,and the idea is flexible and diverse.Ji Yun uses logical imagination to enhance the reasoning effect,lack image imagination,and the model is relatively simple.The characters in Yuewei Cottage Notes lack the vitality of life and the power touching people,like a symbol,in contrast to Liaozhai Zhiyi.Setting the name and identity of the characters is an important contents in the idea of the novel.The characters,name in Liaozhai Zhiyi are directly related to the character,the fate,and the direction of the story.In Yuewei Cottage Notes,the narrator's name and identity are directly related to the authenticity of the story,and it is necessary to clearly record their identity information in order to indicate the truthfulness of the content contained.While the characters' name in main story is not important,what has little to do with the subject and the author's demands.Most of the time,the name of the little people do not need to know.Sometimes in order to avoid the sage taboo,the Venerable taboo,or the pro-taboo,making characters' identity and name fuzzy is more in line with Ji Yun's creative needs.The text structure contains a variety of factors,there are many ways to build it.In Liaozhai Zhiyi each chapter has a title.And the most noteworthy is that Pu Songling used title uncharacteristically.The title and narrative center are inconsistent.In this way,he leaded another reading perspective and focus often overlooked with many normal titles,inspiring readers to open new space outside the Inertia thinking.In Yuewei Cottage Notes,all story have no title.Ji yun paid attention on the practicality and authenticity of the story.In his view,true or false was difficult to make a conclusion,let alone sum up the subject and refining a title.He not only did not add any title,but also severely reprimanded the booksman delusion title.Pu Songling used a variety of skills during telling story,and the main purpose is to add the literature meaning of text.Most of Yuewei Cottage Notes' narrative is straightforward.though there are some changes,its purpose is to enhance practical value of the story.Description is one technique of narrative.Description in Liaozhai Zhiyi diverse from many different perspectives,some meticulous and thoughtful,some using simple eye-style description.People's dress?appearance?language tone are all fit for the identity of the characters and the truth of life.Scene description Integrated vision,hearing,touch and other angles,create an immersive reading experience for readers.In Yuewei Cottage Notes character description focused on dialogue.Characters' vioce is Ji Yun's own voice.His experience?life sentiment?viewpoints and so on,be spoken out by characters.Thus regardless the characters are god or demon,old or young,male or female,their tone and eloquent are similar with Ji Yun more or less.Scene description is quite random,especially the scene is not necessarily related to novel's subject.Ji Yun has no intention of modifying the story through these descriptions.Though the length of chapter in Liaozhai Zhiyi is different,the intention is obvious or hidden,the purpose is unity.The comment location is focused,distinct,and independent from the narrative,Playing a role of pointing out deep meaning of the story,creating multi-part effect or connecting stories related.Rather than narrativing story,commenting on them is Ji Yun maily interested in.In Yuewei Cottage Notes,comment occupy most space of the text,its location is random,Is the main component of the overall structure,which plays a role of bringing out story,explaining story and acting as a bridge connectted different stories.Mr.Yi-shi said have strong subjective color and lyrical meaning.Pu Songling not only express his inner world by the fox ghost story,but also cry for the characters,show real concern for ordinary beings' life.Commented in Yuewei Cottage Notes don't stick to a single point,using several comments to reveal the truth little by little,or displaying opposite views to proke thought.This is consistent with Ji Yun's thinking of truth proven.Finally,Pu Songling and Ji Yun all have succeeded in creating works that fit for their aesthetic ideals through treatment and application of similar materials differently.However,from the perspective of the independent development of novel style,Liaozhai Zhiyi is no doubt better than Yuewei Cottage Notes.Liaozhai Zhiyi is in line with the standards of literary works.First of all,creating the meaning though language art,and then observing reality,performing reality.It is a successful example in the novel history.Whlie arguments and comments in Yuewei Cottage Notes put benefiting for society as the most important purpose,but Ji Yun lack of real concern for the reality and life.Pu Songling and Ji Yun have clear understanding of the subject's status,but because of the different ideas and aspirations,the artistic and vitality of the work also will be different.Pu Songling's concept of taking the ghost novels as a great work about his future stimulated the vitality of weird theme.Ji Yun's conservative concept of writing limited the literary realm of his work.