China's collection of novels "One Carving Surprise" and "Two Carving Surprises" are collectively called. Author Ling Mengchu. Published in the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty. There are 40 episodes and 80 episodes, of which 1 repeats, 1 zaju, so there are 78 parodies. Most of the works are based on some fresh and interesting anecdotes throughout the ages, written to meet the needs of the public, and also have the meaning of exhortation and punishment. Some works in Er Pai reflect the life and thoughts of citizens in Ming Dynasty. For example, chapters such as "Transporting Han Yuqiao to Dongting Lake" and "Helping Strangers" reflect the activity of commodity economy and the further development of citizen consciousness after the middle of Ming Dynasty by describing businessmen's pursuit of money and the ideal of overseas adventure. Some works describing love and marriage, such as General Li Cuo-shu, praise faithful love, while Full Hunger criticizes the ugly behavior of ingratitude and wealth, and puts forward the requirement of equality between men and women in love and marriage. The works such as "A Man in a Brothel City" reveal the greed, cruelty, lewdness and lust of feudal rulers. But generally speaking, the negative and backward elements in the second beat are relatively large, and there are many feudal superstitions, karma, fatalism and pornographic descriptions. Erpai is good at organizing plots, and most chapters are fascinating and vivid. It is the most influential collection of ancient vernacular novels after Sanyan, but it is not as good as Sanyan in ideological content and artistic level.
Ling Mengchu's Surprise in Two Instances is another collection of short stories based on parody after Surprise in One Instance. The ideological tendency and artistic style of these two books are consistent, so people often refer to them as "Er Pai".
In order to meet the cultural needs of citizens, its content is also focused. Full affirmation of human desire. Therefore, exposing the darkness of the government and attacking the history of corrupt officials are its two major themes.
2. Jin Ping Mei, which reflects the life of citizens in Song Dynasty, is written by Lan Xiaosheng.
China's novels in Ming Dynasty. This book was written between Qin Long and Wanli. The author signed Lan Lingxiao Xiao Sheng. Lanling belongs to Linyi, Shandong Province, and the author is about from Shandong. Jin Ping Mei *** 100 times, there are two versions: one is Jin Ping Mei Hua thorn, with Zhu Ke's preface in forty-five years of Wanli (1617); The other is Jin Ping Mei Yuan carved during the apocalypse. The contents of the two versions are basically the same, and the latter version basically belongs to the apocalypse engraving system. Jin Ping Mei takes the story of Song Wu killing his wife in Water Margin as the introduction, and reveals the darkness and corruption of the society in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty by describing Ximen Qing's triple identity as a bureaucrat, bully and wealthy businessman and his family's sinful life, which has profound understanding value. Jin Ping Mei depicts a ghost world from the imperial court to the imperial court, from the imperial court to the local bureaucrats and bullies, and even the idlers. Ximen Qing used to be a poor rich man who opened a drugstore. He is good at profiteering, buttering up powerful people and taking all the lawsuits in the county. Traffic officials and local officials have contact with him. He plundered by hook or by crook, amassed wealth, was dissolute and lustful, and did all kinds of evil. He robbed widows' property, cheated sworn brothers' wives, possessed folk girls and murdered concubines' husbands. In order to satisfy his insatiable desire for pleasure, he did all kinds of heinous things. However, due to the support of the imperial court, especially Cai Jing, the prime minister of the dynasty, worshiped him as the adoptive father, so that he was not only not punished as he deserved, but was proud of his spring breeze. These descriptions reflect all kinds of shady scenes after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when imperial dignitaries colluded with local gentry, officials and businessmen, squeezing the people and amassing money.