The Research Of Qing Dynasty Novels In Zang Wai Taoism Book

Followed by the Orthodox Taoist Sutra, Zang Wai Taoism Book is another great collection of Taoist sutra, and of high literary value. The Taoism novels in the Zang Wai Taoist Book are one essential part of Chinese Taoism novels, which are characterized by rich topics and sharp religious features, also add a sense of mythology for the history of Chinese novels.The research subject of this paper is Qing Dynasty novels, in specifically including the parts involved with paranormal things in long chapter novels—a Comprehensive Research on Immortals, Lv Zu encyclopedia, the Zhang Sanfeng Corpora, and the middle chapter novel Seven Immortals’Cause and Effect Biography. Setting the back ground in Qing Dynasty, this paper is based on these four novels, trying to analyze the artistic features and thematic connotations in Qing Dynasty novels, thus assuring its value and meaning in the history of Taoism novels, or even the whole Chinese novels.The whole paper consists of five parts together, including the preface and Four Chapters. The preface mainly summarizes the definition and researching state quo of Zang Wai Taoism Book both in China and abroad, also introduces the methods, objects, meanings, etc involved with research of this paper. Then Chapter One introduces the history background for Taoism development. From two aspects, downs of Taoism in the upper class while ups in the folk, this paper analyzes the complex situation of Taoism development in Qing Dynasty, and its process as well as reasons for its development from the official to the folk, based on which the era characteristics secularization, hommization, ethicization, and integration of Three Religions are summarized. Chpater Two is an overview of the novels in Qing Dynasty, including the versions of the above mentioned four novels,the author’s proof, the basic characteristics of novels and brief introduction of its own limitation. Chapter Three mainly analyzes the themes of the Qing Dynasty novels. Specifically expounding that in additon to propagating Taoism, these Taoism novels are also characterized with four connotations, i.e reflecting social reality, advocating longevity with religious doctrines, salvation, as well as absorption and derivation of foreign religious thoughts. Based on which, we can get a overall understanding of literary thoughts and era characteristics reflected by these Qing Dynasty Taoism novels. Chapter Four is an specific elaboration of artistic features of Qing Dynasty novels, which is composed of four parts together:first, the portrayal of immortals, not only vivid, but also socialized, in addition, especially those images of female ones are provided with distinct features; second, the construction of fairyland, which is characrized with high secularization and happy mortal life; third, the amazing beauty of immortals’ magics, in addition to transformation, rebirth, also with the help of various magic weapons; fourth, the pluralization of means of artistic expressions, with both rich techniques of expression and writing features focusing on either the general or the very individual, for example, poems and pictures are used to add splendor to these novels.Taoism novel is the treasure of Chinese traditional literature, whose unique aesthetic culture and romanticism are worth us researching and studying. While Qing Dynasty Taoism novels will come into view with a more mature state, its hommization, secularization, plural arristic features, and compatible religious characteristics are quite a necessity in the reasearch of Taoism novel.