A Study On Hou Fangyu

Hou Fangyu was one of the "Four Gentlemen" of the late Ming dynasty,and was also named as one of the "Three Masters of Classical Writing" of the early Qing dynasty.He was a person of stature,be it in the communal society of that time,or among the literary critics in late Ming dynasty.He experienced and witnessed great and significant events during the transitional period from Ming to Qing dynasty;notably turmoil among the people,Qing army's invasion of the Central Plains and the small court establishment of Hong Guang during late Ming period.All these posed great impact on his life,but due to the influence of "Peach Blossom Fan",many people mistook the theatrical Hou Fangyu to be the real Hou Fangyu.Therefore,in order to better understand the real historical Hou Fangyu,this thesis will gather historical materials from his time,and through his various writings,forge a new understanding of his character,his status and his influence in literary history.The introduction will describe the origins of this paper,different editions of Hou Fangyu's work in circulation,various studies on him and the paper's research methodology.The body of consists of six chapters.The first chapter will introduce the historical and family background Hou Fangyu was in,especially his ancestors' righteous spirit displayed in their official court duties,as they greatly influenced his character and thoughts.The second chapter will study the cause and effect of the persecution of Hou Fangyu by Ruan Dacheng through tracing their relationship.The third chapter will organize the historical records of Li Xiang,and the theories surrounding Li Xiang Jun,to investigate the fate of Li Xiang Jun,beyond the discussions on the fate of Li and Hou in "Peach Blossom Fan".The fourth chapter will discuss Hou Fangyu's character and ambition,interaction with court officials in the Qing dynasty and performance after taking the court entrance exam in year 1651,to obtain a fair evaluation of whether his participation in said exam was voluntary or forced.The fifth chapter will focus on discussing the value of Hou Fangyu,on the credibility of his given title“Literary Talent”even amongst much criticism.To this aim,this chapter investigates the writings of Hou Fangyu,to find out the reasons behind the critics and re-evaluate his literary value.The sixth chapter will re-examine Hou Fangyu' s talent in poetry,on top of his prose.Hence the chapter focuses on his poem“Learning Du Fu"-its origin and Du Fu's influence-as well as the relevant strengths and weaknesses through his "poems that record history"and "poems of sorrow".