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Master of Heavenly Flowers Scripture: Constructing Tianhua zang zhuren's Three Personae as Publisher, Commentator, and Writer of Scholar-beauty Fiction

Li, Mengjun
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250608011

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
The seminal figure of scholar-beauty fiction, Master of Heavenly Flower Scripture (Tianhua zang zhuren, here after THZZR), assumed triple personae of fiction writer, commentator, and publisher in the late Ming and early to mid Qing period. He had at least sixteen novels attributed to him as author or commentator, and his triple roles related and mutually reinforced each other, resulting in the popularity of not only individual works like Ping, Shan, Leng, and Yan [Ping Shan Leng Yan] and Yu, Jiao, and Li [Yu Jiao Li], but also the genre of scholar-beauty fiction as a whole. Many of these novels were among the most widely circulated fictional works during the Qing period. Moreover, due to their popularity, these novels also found their way to other countries in Asia and Europe, where they in turn were translated, adapted and reworked into other literary traditions. Hence, Master of Heavenly Flower Scripture was at least as important as the more well known key figures in that period of time such as Feng Menglong (1574-1646), Jin Shengtan (1608-1661) and Li Yu (1611-1680). Unlike these better studied figures who engaged in writing and commentating on works of various literary genres, THZZR focused exclusively on scholar-beauty fiction. An examination of his triple personae will reveal the specificity of printing and targeted readership of this category of vernacular fiction. Since no conclusion on THZZR's exact historical identity has been made due to a lack of conclusive source material, no autobiographical information about him could be used to make an argument. Hence, in this thesis I will examine THZZR’s own works as well as his prefatory commentaries on scholar-beauty novels authored by him and other writers.
Patricia Sieber, PhD (Advisor)
Kirk Denton, PhD (Committee Member)
125 p.
Asian Literature
Master of Heavenly Flowers Scripture; scholar-beauty fiction; fiction commentary; book printing; late Ming and early Qing

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Li, M. (2009). Master of Heavenly Flowers Scripture: Constructing Tianhua zang zhuren's Three Personae as Publisher, Commentator, and Writer of Scholar-beauty Fiction [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250608011

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Li, Mengjun. Master of Heavenly Flowers Scripture: Constructing Tianhua zang zhuren's Three Personae as Publisher, Commentator, and Writer of Scholar-beauty Fiction. 2009. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250608011.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Li, Mengjun. "Master of Heavenly Flowers Scripture: Constructing Tianhua zang zhuren's Three Personae as Publisher, Commentator, and Writer of Scholar-beauty Fiction." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250608011

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.