The Characters Of Beggars In The Novels Of Tang Dynasty And Five Dynasties

In the novels of Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties,the distinct characters of beggars seem to be an imprint on that turbulent era.By analyzing these characters,we learn about the utter misery of populations in the dark times,grasp the distinctive mentality of individuals under the real-life pressure,and even have a clear understanding that the given characteristics play an important role in the mainspring of the plots.Anyhow,the undervalued beggars in novels exert a strong influence upon the epoch.In the preface,it is about the definition of real beggars,a brief summary of previous studies,and clear ideas about the thesis structure.The straight matter is divided into four chapters.The first one will be central on the realistic factors that give rise to the two different beggars: common beggars and scholar beggars.The former is mainly relevant with numerous warfare,gloomy economy,uncontrolled disease,etc.while the latter is generally related to bureaucratic official career tendency prevailing after the middle Tang Dynasty.The second chapter will be focused on dissecting the characteristics of diverse beggars in various types of novels: anecdotes,strange fictions and legends.As we know,the beggars in literature are based on the reality.Therefore novelists will indicate the reality by describing distinctive beggars.Evidently,the third part will be concentrated on delving the writing purposes of novelists in Tang Dynasty: recording or narrating.Meanwhile,a large number of representative scholar beggars will be particularized to verify the first purpose.As you understand their tremendous changes in life,you will capture the variable mood of novelists.Then,in order to certify the latter purpose,the thesis will probe into how the characteristics of beggars play a vital part in the mainspring of plots.In the last part,the utter misery of populations and the inner thoughts of literati in the Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties will be emphasized in terms of the historical values of beggars in novels.In the conclusion,it is about a summary of beggars influenced by religious beliefs and their Buddhist karma as well as Taoist conceptions.