A Study Of Female Manuscript Burning In Novels Of Ming And Qing Dynasties

Burning manuscripts is a special phenomenon in literary creation of ancient scholars,which appeared in historical books and literary works.According to documentary records,the burning of manuscripts by literati occurred no later than tlie Tang Dynasty,while the burning of manuscripts before the Ming Dynasty was rarely recorded,and most of them were the deeds of famous literati.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the number of writers and works increased sharply,and the depth and breadth of literary activities far exceeded those of previous generations.The phenomenon of burning manuscripts also increases with the rich creative activities.The vigorous publishing industry promotes the preservation and dissemination of literary works,while some literati burn manuscripts to eliminate their own creation,showing a complex creative mentality,reflecting the deep interaction between literati and literary creation environment.During this period,the phenomenon of burning manuscripts by female literati was particularly noticeable,frequently recorded in historical biographies,local chronicles and literary works,and also reflected in the novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties.Novels are the masters of the development of literature in Ming and Qing Dynasties.While displaying the theles of the times,they use a large number of pens and ink to shape many different female characters.As a special literary phenomenon,female manuscript burning shows the literary creation of female characters in the novel,which has special aesthetic significance and historical and cultural connotations.By systematically combing the writing of female burning manuscripts in Ming and Qing novels,we can trace back the relationship between female creation and literary environment in Ming and Qing Dynasties,analyze the relationship between female talent and morality in Ming and Qing Dynasties,and explore the influence of female creation and the dilemma of literary communication.The plot of female burning manuscripts mainly appears in historical novels and human relationship novels,which can be divided into two situations:the author bums his manuscript by himself and others burns it.From the perspective of time,burning manuscripts by women mainly occurs at four important time points:the time of death,the time of breaking love,the time of mourning and the time of casting spells.According to the characteristics of the burned manuscripts,the motives of the manuscripts are mainly literary responsory and feeling sentimental,and most of the manuscripts belong to poetry.The plot of burning manuscripts by women in novels generally occupies a small space,but it plays an important role,often at the key point of plot cohesion,which promotes the transformation of the plot of fiction.As the manuscript carries the rich emotions of female characters,burning manuscripts reflects the emotional catharsis and psychological changes of women to a certain extent.In the aspect of characterization,burning manuscripts has played a role in sublimating the image of women,displaying the tragic beauty of "beautiful gifted women born with bad fate.and"proud spirit is easily destroyed".In structure,burning manuscripts connect the three circles of people,gods and ghosts,and play a role in conveying messages in mourning and swearing.The burning of manuscripts by women is the embodiment of the annihilation of female talent and the regret of their rich talent and learning.The premise of burning manuscripts is female literary creation.Female literary activities are very rich in human society novels,reflecting a relatively relaxed literary creation environment.However,as the end of female literary creation,burning manuscripts reveals the complexity and dilemma of the dissemination of female literary works,indirectly implying female social status,gender awareness and literary existence.The female literary creation and burning of manuscripts in the novel have abundant realistic basis in the history of Ming and Qing Dynasties.Female literary creation prevailed in Ming and Qing Dynasties,and the development of family education and teacher education played a great role in promoting it.Female literati show the regional characteristics mainly in the south of the Yangtze River,and have the interaction of reciprocity and singing.Literary creation is mainly composed of poems and lyrics.In a relatively relaxed literary creation environment,female literati still cannot escape the restraint of female morality.The dispute between talent and female morality is often manifested in the suppression of talent and learning by traditional rules of female morality.As a product of a specific historical environment,burning manuscripts by women is an artistic portrayal of the ending of female literary creation in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.At present,the preservation of female works we can see mainly through the compilation of collections of works,the recording of historical books and local chronicles,etc.Its dissemination depends largely on the help of men,and the burning of female works is very serious.At the same time,in the modern academic research,the lack of ancient female literaiy creation in the history of literature needs to be thoroughly and systematically excavated and studied.