The Four Novels of Denunciation and Their Meanings to the Late Qing

• Main Authors: WU,YI-TSANG, 吳奕蒼
• Other Authors: 鍾宗憲
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/38918036098932245157

博士 === 輔仁大學 === 中國文學系 === 105 === This study explores how characters in the four novels of denunciation Observations on the current state of officialdom、The strange state of the world witnessed over 20 years、The Travels of Lao Tsan、Flower in the sea of evil reflect the society of the late Qing as a whole and how the four novels relate to the novels before and after their time. The author first discusses the society of the late Qing and the development of novels at that time, then investigates how this historical context shaped the four novels of denunciation and the characters in them, and finally compares and contrasts the four novels with those before and after their time and discusses how the four novels and their characters position themselves in the history of Chinese novels. The late Qing was a tumultuous time, exposed both to foreign imperial powers and domestic political corruption. The author describes this socio-political context and examines the causes of the late Qing’s tumult and the self-strengthening movement that attempted to save the Qing dynasty from destruction. Within this socio-political context and through translation of Western novels and use of new media, novels had risen from their traditional marginalized role to be seen as a medium for social reform, a way to save the country. The four novels of denunciation aimed to enlighten the Chinese people and change the society. The author explores the social phenomena they portray, their critiques of the political disorder, and their yearning for social transformation. Moreover, the author investigates characterizations in the four novels: how the characters manifest political corruption, the degeneration and transformation of intellectuals, and the changes of female gender roles. The novels in the late Qing turns a new page in history, and the four novels of denunciation are key to transformation of the novels in the late Qing. Therefore, finally the author compares and contrasts the four novels of denunciation with those before and after their time and discusses how the four novels position themselves in the history of Chinese novels.