| Chen Chen, the early-Qing-Dynasty writer, is more productive than he is generally known. As noted by Hu Shi (1980),"the Xunzhou City boasts many writers of a diversity of genres, such as…tan chi (fiddle ballads in Chinese southern dialects) as represented by Chen Chen's Xu Nian Er Shi Tan Ci (A Continuation of the Tan Ci in Twenty-four Dynasties), plays as represented by Chen Chen's Chi Shi Jie ("The Infatuated World"), and novels…as represented by Chen Chen's Hou Shui Hu ("Postscript of Shui Hu"). Chen Chen also authored Yan Dang Shi Ji (Yandang Poem Collection) and Yang Dang Za Zhu (Yang Dang Miscellaneous Writings), most of which have been lost. His extant works include his novel and 114 poems themed in recalling his overthrown dynasty. Based on his poems and poem, this thesis aims at analyzing his thinking as a survivor of the Ming Dynasty and exploring the inner world of the writers in late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. The thesis is composed of three chapters.Chapter 1 defines the term yi min, literally"left people", or"adherent of an overthrown dynasty"or"survivor of a former age". In this thesis, yi min is defined according to two standards. In the aspect of time, they have lived in two different dynasties; in the aspect of thinking, they yearn for their former royalty, and despise apostasy and serving the new dynasty. These two standards are applied to confirm Chen Chen's identity as a yi min. Moreover, the historical background is taken into consideration in this thesis so as to base the analysis of the writer on his living background.Chapter 2 explores the feelings of the author as a survivor of the Ming Dynasty by analyzing his poems. The analysis centers three aspects, namely the homeland, the new dynasty, and the relationship between the home land and the new dynasty. As a survivor of Ming living in Qing, Chen Chen missed his homeland and deprecated the newly-established Qing Dynasty; he wanted to live a carefree life as an anchoret but worried about the country's fate and the people's welfare; he longed for the triumph in battlefield but mourned about aging and the bygone good old days.Chapter 3 focuses on Chen Chen's novel Shui Hu Hou Zhuan and analyzes it in four dimensions, namely its time, the author's intention, its plot, and its description of the environment. The analysis shows that the novel intends to"vent the author's anger"and does so in disguise of others'stories. Four types of angers are identified and analyzed, namely the anger for those powerful and imperious officials who did harm to the Ming Dynasty, the anger for those apostate officials who served the new Qing Dynasty, the anger for those corruptive Qing officials who exploited the people, and the anger for the hypocritical monks and taoists who wantoned and deceived. The end of the novel, this thesis argues that, indicates the author's longing for a peace and prosperous society with a wise king and virtuous and talented officials.Based on carefully reading the texts, this thesis aims at systematic analysis of Chen Chen's poems and novel and hence, displays the thinking of the author as a yi min. The conclusion is only tentative since the references of this thesis and the author's knowledge are limited. |
