Ming Dynasty Worldly Novel And Gentry Life

The official history materials about gentry living situation of Ming Dynasty is of the less documented, while the realistic novels in Ming Dynasty has retained many description of the living conditions of the gentry. So these materials has an important value to our study on the gentry of Ming Dynasty. This thesis,through quotation and analysis of a large amount of these realistic novels, combined with notes,miscellanies, history materials,historical bookmakings and previous research results, use literature-history cross-checked method to show clearly and completly the whole living situation of the gentry of Ming Dynasty as far as possible.On the aspect of structure arrangement, the concept of the realistic novels and the gentry of Ming Dynasty are confirmed in the preface of this thesis, and previous research results were reviewed. Chapter One is about the Imperial Examination career which is mostly related with the gentry. And that is the main way in which they become "intelligent people". Chapter Two is mainly about the economic life of the gentry, with an emphasis on economic income. In Chapter Three the marriage and family relations of the gentry are introduced in the background of the rapid development of commodity economy in Ming Dynasty. Chapter Four and Five,which is the distinctive part of this thesis,shows the social interaction and daily life of the gentry separately. The chapters and sections are interrelated closely.