1. Tang legend:
In the Tang Dynasty, legend was a novel genre, usually written in classical Chinese, with twists and turns of plot and novel artistic conception. The legends of the Tang Dynasty are mainly influenced by strange stories in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and dramas in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Its contents are mainly historical figures, immortals and ghosts, anecdotes and so on, such as Biography of Li Wa and Biography of Yingying.
The appearance of Tang legends marked a new stage in the development of China's novels and laid the foundation for the later development of Ming and Qing novels. However, in the Tang Dynasty, because the mainstream of literature was still poetry and parallel prose, the status of legend was not high and it failed to get enough attention.
2. The legend of the Ming dynasty:
In the Ming Dynasty, legend had a new development and became a kind of opera, also known as "Ming and Qing legends". Different from Tang legends, Ming legends are not only more complicated in form, but also pay attention to the depiction of characters and the tortuous development of plots.
Legendary themes in Ming Dynasty mostly involve social issues such as family, marriage, morality and ethics, such as Peony Pavilion and The West Chamber. In addition, the legends of the Ming Dynasty are also influenced by Yuan Zaju and folk operas, with more vivid language and diversified forms.
The development of legends in Ming Dynasty marked a peak of the development of China's traditional operas, which not only promoted the prosperity of traditional operas, but also had a far-reaching impact on the development of China's literature.
3. Legend of Qing Dynasty:
The legend of the Qing Dynasty is further developed on the basis of the legend of the Ming Dynasty, which is characterized by pushing the meter and language of traditional Chinese opera to the extreme. The legends of the Qing Dynasty are not only more tortuous in plot, fuller in characters, but also more elegant and delicate in language.
Legendary themes in Qing Dynasty mostly involve social reality and philosophy of life, such as Peach Blossom Fan and Palace of Eternal Life. In addition, the legends of the Qing Dynasty also paid attention to the expression of music and dance, which became a comprehensive art form.
The development of legends in Qing Dynasty not only brought a perfect end to the development of China opera, but also added luster to the art of opera in the whole history of China literature.
Generally speaking, the legends of Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties were all influenced by social background, literary tradition and artistic demand to varying degrees, but they all promoted the development of literature in their respective periods and made important contributions to the diversification of China's literary history.