"Wonderful Views of Modern and Ancient Times" has 40 volumes, including 40 stories and imitative stories selected from "Three Words" and "Er Pai", including 8 "Yanshi Mingyan" and 10 "Warning Words". There are 11 chapters in "Eternal Words to Awaken the World", 8 chapters in "The First Moment of Surprise in Shooting the Case", and 3 chapters in "The Second Moment of Surprise in Shooting the Case". The editor has done some textual processing on each article, and the comments on the header may also be from his hand.
The editor's selection criteria are roughly four, "The first is about retribution, the second is about exhortations and punishments, the third is about novel plots, and the fourth is about trivial stories about stories that can be discussed and helpful" (Sun Kaidi's "Part Three" A Study on the Origin and Origin of Yan Er Pai"). The book contains many works that promote loyalty, filial piety, justice and religious superstition, such as "Liu Yuanpu's Twins", "Xu Old Servant Marries a Family", etc.; there are also a few works with higher ideological and artistic levels, such as "Du Shiniang" "The treasure chest sinks in anger", "Shen Xiaoxia meets and becomes a teacher", etc. The latter category is the representative work of Ming Dynasty imitating scripts.
Since the early Qing Dynasty, "Three Words" and "Er Pai" have been forgotten, but "Wonderful Views of Modern and Ancient Times" has become the most widely circulated anthology of ancient vernacular short stories, which has caused great changes in society. influence. This book now exists in the Baohanlou edition of Wu County in the late Ming Dynasty, as well as in various reprints in the Qing Dynasty. The Gu Xuejie's annotated version newly printed by the People's Literature Publishing House also made corrections and necessary additions and deletions to the original version with reference to "Three Words" and "Er Pai" and other books.
"Heroes"
A collection of novels from the Ming Dynasty, which is a joint edition of "Water Margin" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". There are two types of books: one is published by Xiongfei Pavilion during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, titled "The Complete Book of Water Margin of the Three Kingdoms", preceded by Xiong Fei's preface, 20 volumes, each page is divided into upper and lower columns, and the upper column publishes "Water Margin" (110 chapters) , the lower column publishes "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (240 chapters), with 100 pages of illustrations. The other is a version published in the Qing Dynasty, titled "Xiu Xiang Qishu of the Han and Song Dynasties", and also has a preface by Xiong Fei, with "Water Margin" in the upper column and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the lower column, but the former has 115 chapters, and the latter is a critical edition by Mao Zonggang in the early Qing Dynasty. The whole book is appended Figure page 40. The above two types are both titled "Heroes" and are also known by this name in circulation. The "Water Margin" collected in "Heroes" are all simplified versions. The commentary attached to the Ming edition is signed "Li Zhi", which is of great research value in the edition history of "Water Margin". The Qing edition is more popular because there are many copies in the market.
"West Lake Episode Two"
A collection of short stories in the late Ming Dynasty. Written by Zhou Ji. ***34 volumes, each with one article, are all stories related to the West Lake. Most of the materials in his books come from "Remaining Records of Traveling to the West Lake" and "Huang Ming Cong Xin Lu". He also used books such as "History of Love", "Jian Deng Xin Hua", "Nancun Stopping Farming" and other books. From the description of Volume 17, we know that there is also "Xihu Episode", which is no longer published today.
According to the preface by Hu Haishi at the beginning of the volume, it is said that the author has "vast talents", but "the talents are not recognized, and he suffers from poverty". The purpose of writing this novel is to "borrow someone else's wine glass to pour out his own shame." The book constantly satirizes and exposes the corrupt politics and corrupt officials in the late Ming Dynasty. Some of the stories are well written, such as "Hu Shao Bao Bao's Victory in Pinging the Japanese", which reveals that in the "world of the rich man with a gauze hat", "there are many officials who are confused and corrupt, but there are few officials who are honest and love the people." "Ancestor Rule Appears to Rescue" denounced those "Huang Bang Jinshi" who "defraud local neighbors, seize people's land, and rely on their power to bully others" are not even worth "pig or dog". In "The Foolish Commandery Keeps the Jade Palace in Spring", it is ridiculed that those who occupy high positions are originally ignorant and illiterate. "The Famous Prostitute Zov" describes that prostitutes can also see through those high-ranking officials, who are often "abominable", "average in arts and sciences", or even "ignorant at all", which is very spicy. In addition, it is quite interesting to describe the social customs in Hangzhou. The writing style of this book is relatively smooth. There is a lot of words in the book promoting loyalty, filial piety, justice, and karma, which is its shortcoming.
Li Dongyang
A poet of the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name is Binzhi and his nickname is Xiya. His ancestral home is Chaling, Huguang (now part of Hunan). He has lived in Beijing for a long time. He learned calligraphy at a young age and was able to write large characters in diameter at the age of 4. Emperor Daizong once called for a test and he was so happy that he held him in his lap and gave him fruit banknotes. In the eighth year of Tianshun reign of Emperor Yingzong (1464), he was awarded the title of Jinshi and was awarded the title of editor. Later he served as a bachelor's lecturer and a lecturer in the East Palace. Xiaozong was Taichang Shaoqing at that time. He wrote letters to discuss the pros and cons of current affairs, and made many corrections. He was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, and was appointed to the cabinet to specialize in edicts. Many of the grass in the cabinet were done by his hands.
In the eighth year of Hongzhi (1495), Zhi Wenyuan Pavilion took part in the maintenance of the machine. He moved to Prince Shaobao, Minister of Rites and Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, and became an important minister of the imperial court. Wu Zongli, the eunuch Liu Jin took over the power, all the old ministers and loyal officials were exiled, and they were repeatedly persecuted. Only Li Dongyang relied on others to avoid trouble, which was quite dissatisfied and criticized by the upright people in the world. Take away, protect the good, and the world will be protected by it" ("History of Ming Dynasty: Li Dongyang Biography"). Dongyang reluctantly supported the officials who were persecuted by Liu Jin, and tried their best to protect and rescue them, either openly or covertly. Later, when Liu Jin executed him, Li Dongyang wrote a letter accusing him of "having to be patient and forbearing, which will cause a lot of damage, so it is reasonable to depose him", and the emperor comforted him. Presented to the Grand Master. After his death, he was given the posthumous title Wenzheng.
During the Yongle and Chenghua periods of the Ming Dynasty, the "Taige style" was popular in the literary world. The content was poor and redundant, the form was elegant and the craftsmanship was elegant, and the literary movement was in extreme decline. In the middle period of Hongzhi, starting from the first seven sons, "literature must be compared to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and poetry must be compared to the prosperous Tang Dynasty", and the retro literary movement replaced the "Taige style". Li Dongyang ascended the Taige style and descended from the seven sons before and after him. During the Chenghua and Hongzhi years, he presided over the poetry circle as a court minister and rewarded the underachievers. He was quite prestigious and influential, and formed the "Chaling Poetry School" headed by him. His prose pursues elegance and fluidity, and advocates imitating the ancient Chinese prose of the pre-Qin Dynasty without departing from the Taige style; his poems emphasize the patriarchal style of Du Fu, emphasizing the tone of the law, and he also wrote hundreds of poems imitating the ancient Yuefu, which was the first of the creative trends of the seven scholars before and after. There is a clear impact.
Li Dongyang's poems are famous for imitating the ancient Yuefu. They chant historical facts and express his own emotions, either criticizing the tyrant's tyranny or sympathizing with the people's suffering. For example, "City Building Resentment" describes the current affairs of Qin Shihuang: "Building the city is painful, building the city is painful, the men on the city died on the wall, the trombone sounded and the sky was angry, and the Great Wall suddenly collapsed and turned to earth." Another example is "Three Characters Prison", which criticized Qin Hui. The three words "unnecessary" are used to harm Yue Fei: "The three words prison, Heaven is not convinced, obey or not, kill Wu Mu. I have no fear of Heaven when I lose the country, and I have no power in the mere theory of things!" It is like "Yi Shui Xing", "Huaiyin" "Sigh", "Ming Fei's Resentment", "Wuzhangyuan", "Mawei Qu", "Jinzipai", etc., the writings cover many ancient people and events such as Qin Shihuang, Jing Ke, Han Xin, Wang Zhaojun, Zhuge Liang, Yang Guifei, Yue Fei, etc. More pertinent, profound and upright. Apart from the Yuefu poems, most of them were written as gifts for social occasions and are of no value. The rest of the five-seven-character poems are still excellent, such as "Spring Arrival", which expresses concern for the country and the people, and laments that "the neighbors in the east have no brown clothes, and the houses in the west have no smoke. Farmers look for spring wheat, but the wheat seeds are not in the fields. They are homeless in the countryside, and they have no sympathy for their flesh and blood." As a result, he "can't eat enough". Another example is "Report to Peng Minwang", "Sigh on the Wind and Rain", etc., which express feelings about the times and the world, and express deep feelings for oneself. His poems are also good at describing scenes and expressing emotions, and can express fresh artistic conception in plain words. For example, "Beiyuan Pastoral Singing": "The green cattle are getting fat in the northern plains, and the shepherds are singing and the cattle are returning home. The children's home is in the original cattle on the slope, and the singing gradually becomes lower and farther away. The mountains are vast and the water is clear and shallow." Another example is "Listening through the Night Window" "Rain" describes the quietness of the rain at night and the reverie of listening to the rain. Reading it feels like being there. Li Dongyang's prose includes Fu, Preface, Notes, Commentary, Biographies, Miscellaneous Works, Inscriptions and Postscripts, Commentary, etc. Among them, Notes, Biographies, and Miscellaneous Works are better. For example, "Traveling to the West Mountain", "Tingyu Pavilion", "Record of a Female Doctor", etc., they may write about buildings, which are vivid in the eyes; or they may write about rain scenes, which are described in detail; or they may write about "female doctors" who are ignorant and incompetent and defraud money. Analyze deeply. His writing is fluent and elegant, and his reasoning is powerful. It can be seen that he was inspired by the ancient writings of the pre-Qin Dynasty. There is also a volume called "Huailu Tang Poetry Talk", which discusses poetry mostly in line with Yan Yu's, focusing more on tone, word usage, and structure and less on content. Plagiarism and imitation of works are extremely objectionable. Li Dongyang's ink writings
Li Dongyang has been an official for 50 years. Historically, he is said to have "spent his free time with books", so he has written many works. He was appointed as the president during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong and wrote 180 volumes of "Minghuidian", which contains rich historical materials. He also wrote a volume of "Miscellaneous Comments on New and Old Tang Books", which excerpted historical events of the Tang Dynasty and distinguished their rights and wrongs. Most of them were regarded by predecessors as allusions or to explain one's own thoughts. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Liao Fangda, a scholar in Chaling Prefecture, collected Li Dongyang's poems and essays and compiled them into "Huailutang Collection", which exists today and is published in 100 volumes, including 30 volumes of poems, 60 volumes of essays, and 10 volumes of miscellaneous works. There is Li Dongyang's "self-preface" before the collection, which was written by Li to imitate the ancient Yuefu, and Liao Fangda moved this as the preface to the entire collection.
"Nanhao Poetry Talk"
Talking about poetry and writings. In the Ming Dynasty, they were all in mourning. Dumu, whose courtesy name was Yuanjing and whose name was Nanhao Jushi, was from Wuxian County (now part of Jiangsu Province). The year of birth and death is unknown. In the twelfth year of Hongzhi (1499), he became a Jinshi, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, and a Shaoqing of Taipu Temple. He is the author of "Records of Honors and Awards for Meritorious Officials in Renwu" and so on.
The first volume of Nanhao Poetry Talk contains many anecdotes about the works of ancient and modern poets. Although it is sparse, it still has certain historical value. The discussion on poetry cited Yan Yu's "different talents" and "wonderful enlightenment". But it is quite interesting to say that it is not the master of one family. For example, he criticized the poems at that time for being "only for entertainment" and "composing things by doing nothing", so many of them were not good; he advocated "but depicting true feelings and real situations, and letting them be buried and spread"; he believed that Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Fan Chengda Compared with the poets of the Tang Dynasty, poets such as Song Dynasty and Lu You, etc., "cannot be called too much, but they are truly worthy of shame." This was even more rare when the trend of respecting the Tang Dynasty and deposing the Song Dynasty prevailed.
In the Ming Dynasty, this book had the Huanghuan and Zhou editions of the Zhengde period and the Wenbi Wujun editions of the Jiajing period. They were compiled in different numbers and added to and detracted from each other. Bao Tingbo of the Qing Dynasty compiled it into the "Zhiquzhai Series" based on the two joint publications of Huixiao. This is the volume recorded in "The Continuation of Poems of the Past Dynasties"