A Study On The Image Of Lady In Qing Dynasty Novels

The Qing Dynasty was a rich period of ancient novels,in which women’s life,as an important social aspect,became the main content of novel creation,and the role of lady in the Qing Dynasty novels is particularly three-dimensional and rich.Many novelists from different angles comprehensively and profoundly reflect the life and mentality of ladies,show their fine quality and intelligence,and even break through the traditional concept.Boldly justifying the name of lady shows the simple democratic thought and progressive view of women.This paper takes the lady in the Qing Dynasty novels as the research object,analyzes the cultural connotation and aesthetic significance of the image of lady combined with the specific works and the Qing Dynasty background.This article is divided into four parts:The first part: The lady in ancient China and its image changes.The formation of the image of lady is a gradual accumulation process.In the Pre-Qin period,the prototype image of lady and its aesthetic significance are found in The Book of Songs and The Songs of Chu.During the Han Dynasty,the concepts of Three cardinal guides and Five Constant Principles and Three Conscripts and Four Virtues were formally formed,which provided ethical norms for the shaping of ladies’ personality and behavior and gave them the moral significance of The Virtue of the Empress.After the Song Dynasty,the development of commodity economy led to the emergence of contractual marriage,and the lady’s attachment and chastity were gradually strengthened.Coupled with the development and perfection of Neo-Confucianism,the subject consciousness of lady was gradually reduced.In Ming Dynasty,the concept of chastity was deepened and strengthened,and the concept of ability and virtue was separated and opposed.In the Qing Dynasty,with the development and maturity of the feudal system,the development of ladies showed the characteristics of standardization,the concept of chastity became religious,the female body was objectified,and the female education culture was gradually prosperous.The second part: The basic types of lady images in Qing Dynasty novels.According to the differences in family affairs undertaken by lady and the emphasis of the author’s description,it can be divided into the girls in the boudoir and the young women in marriage life,including the dual roles of wife and mother.Girls from the type of beauty,virtuous,intelligent and other types of different character characteristics and living environment of the lady,the lady in this period has the moral and ethical aspects of the common,but also have distinct personality characteristics;Young women in marriage are mainly engaged in two aspects: the way of normal and the way of abnormal.The way of normal refers to the way of being a wife in daily life,involving serving parents-in-law,advising husbands and bringing up children.The way of abnormal refers to the way of being a wife that has changed under normal circumstances.It mainly involves the fierce behavior of the lady for conservative chastity,the behavior of giving up herself to save her husband for escaping danger,and the behavior of actively teaching children when she is young and widowed.The third part: lady life field and boudoir culture.Starting with the narration of the living space of the ladies,I observe it from their point of view,including activities such as doing needlework,reading,playing the music,playing chess,writing and painting in daily life,as well as colorful recreational activities,the elegant collection that highlights style,and outdoor activities such as riddle-making,cordyceps herding,shuttlecock kicking and kite flying.From their dressing,grooming,gathering and other daily life to show the lady’s boudoir environment and cultural connotation,so as to perceive the real state of life of ladies and the natural ecological beauty different from men’s official career economy.Part four: the female view reflected by the image of lady and its cultural implication.The narrative of lady in Qing Dynasty novels reflects three views on women.One is to praise the talents of ladies;One is the affirmation of the traditional virtue of lady;The third is the comprehensive attention and reflection on the fate of lady,which is the exploration from the female symbol to the cultural image of a person,and then the in-depth exploration of the significance of the emotional stability of lady,and the perception of the author and the era’s repentance consciousness and cultural thinking of the whole lady from the perspective of Jia Baoyu’s narrative.