| This paper takes the image of "male foxes" in the literary sketches of the Qing Dynasty as the main object of study,adopts a combination of common and ephemeral research perspectives,takes the documentary method and narrative method as the important research methods,focuses on the textual reading method and comparative method,and draws on theories and methods from humanities disciplines such as history,folklore,religion and ethnography.The study and analysis will be conducted by drawing on theories and methods from humanities disciplines such as history,folklore,religion and ethnography.We explore the internal and external motivations for the formation of the "male fox" image,the symbolic meaning of the "male fox" image,and the cultural implications behind this image group.The paper is divided into five main parts:The first part is the introduction,which explains the current status of the study,the significance of the topic,and the research ideas and methods.The current status of the study is to sort out the history of the study on the image of the fox in ancient Chinese literature in order to summarize and review it systematically.The second part provides an overview of the development of fox culture since the pre-Qin dynasty,presenting the characteristics of fox images in each historical period,so as to grasp the process of development and transmutation of such images and establish a connection with the literary tradition in the subsequent study.The third part of the paper examines and analyzes the image of the fox in the literary sketches of the Qing Dynasty.This paper first classifies them,taking into account their personality traits（temperament and behavior）,and divides them into the categories of learned foxes,chivalrous foxes,immortal foxes,and sneaky foxes,in order to have a holistic understanding of this image group.The fourth part classifies the "male fox" stories in the literary sketches of the Qing dynasty and analyzes the narrative of the stories from the perspective of the relationship between man and fox and the actions of the fox（i.e.,the actions of the characters）,classifying the stories into four types: human-fox love,fox which pay a debt of gratitude,fox revenge,and fox chivalry.Then,we summarize the narrative patterns of the four types of stories,discover the commonalities and differences within and among the patterns,and summarize the general pattern of "fox" narratives in Qing dynasty literary sketches,and discover their individual expressions.The fifth part focuses on the characterization of "male foxes" in Qing dynasty literary sketches.The first part explores the typical environment for shaping the image of "male foxes".In Qing dynasty literary sketches,the appearance of "male foxes" is often accompanied by specific scenes,which are not only necessary for the writing of man-made situations,but also a vivid reflection of the social and cultural life of the time.Secondly,we explore the symbolic meaning of the image of "male fox" and the cultural meaning behind this image group,taking into account the internal and external motivations for the formation of the image.Through the analysis of such images,we can also further explore the logical premise of "male fox" shaped by Qing dynasty literary sketches. |
