"Journey to the West": Wu Cheng'en
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms": Luo Guanzhong
"A Dream of Red Mansions": Cao Xueqin
"Water Margin": Shi Naian.
Origin and version
The story of the Three Kingdoms was quite popular among ancient Chinese folk. It was put on the stage in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and more than 30 kinds of Three Kingdoms plays were performed in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. During the Zhizhi period of the Yuan Dynasty, "Quanxiang Three Kingdoms Zhi Ping Hua" published by the Yu family of Xin'an appeared. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong synthesized folk legends, operas and scripts, combined with historical materials from Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" and Pei Songzhi's notes, and based on his personal understanding of social life, he created "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The earliest extant edition is from Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. Published in 1999, it is commonly known as the "Jiajing edition" and has 24 volumes. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang and his son revised the historical events, added and deleted text, and revised it into the 120-chapter version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that is popular today.
There are many versions of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", mainly including: "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" printed by Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty, with simple words and simple content; In 2000, this book was most widely circulated in society. It has been reprinted and published many times by People's Literature Publishing House.
Author
Luo Guanzhong (between 1330 and 1400), famous as Huhai Sanren, was a popular novelist in the Ming Dynasty. His birthplace is said to be Taiyuan (today's Shanxi), and another is said to be Qiantang (today's Hangzhou, Zhejiang), which cannot be confirmed. According to legend, Luo Guanzhong once served as the secret agent of Zhang Shicheng, a peasant uprising army in the late Yuan Dynasty. In addition to "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he also wrote popular novels such as "The Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" and dramas such as "The Legend of Zhao Taizu, Dragon and Tiger". In addition, a considerable number of people believe that the last thirty chapters of "Water Margin" were also written by him.
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p>Author
There are generally three views on the author of "Water Margin":
The entire book was written by Luo Guanzhong.
Co-written by Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
The entire novel was written entirely by Shi Naian. This view is the most familiar.
The first theory has been proposed as early as the Ming Dynasty. Some people who support this view believe that Shi Naian is a fabricated person and does not exist in reality.
Those who hold the second view also have the following two opinions:
Some of them believe that the first seventy chapters of "Water Margin" were written by Shi Naian, and the later chapters were written by Shi Naian. Chapter 30 is written by Luo Guanzhong.
The Ming Dynasty's "Baichuan Shuzhi" said that "Water Margin" is "the original version of Shi Naian of Qiantang, compiled by Luo Guanzhong." In other words, it was mainly written by Shi Naian, and compiled and edited by Luo Guanzhong. This view is influential in academia.
Another view is that "Water Margin" is a cumulative mass creation. Undoubtedly, Shi Naian referenced, borrowed and absorbed a lot of materials during the creation process, including historical books, notes and some complete novels. , opera works or some fragments thereof, but Shi Naian’s creative work cannot be obliterated.
Shi Naian (1296-1370) was a Chinese novelist. The author of "Water Margin", one of China's four great classics. Born in Jiangsu Province, he is a native of Baijuchang, Xinghua. There is some controversy about the accuracy of his biographical information, and there is also a theory that this person has not been found. The main reason is that the author of Water Margin has always been controversial. One test shows that the book was not written by Shi Naian at all, but by Luo Guanzhong. In the TV series "Water Margin" shot by CCTV, the authors were written as Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
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Controversy about the author in academic circles
The author of Journey to the West is generally believed to be Wu Chengen of the Ming Dynasty. All versions of "Journey to the West" published today are signed by Wu Cheng'en. However, since the publication of "Journey to the West", there has been controversy over its author.
The various versions of "Journey to the West" circulated in the Ming Dynasty were not signed. Wang Xiangxu of the Qing Dynasty proposed in the "Book of Journey to the West" that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji in the Southern Song Dynasty. After this view was put forward, most literati in the Qing Dynasty agreed. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, people such as Ji Yun and others began to doubt this theory, believing that "Journey to the West" contains many descriptions of the customs and customs of the Ming Dynasty, and that Qiu Chuji was from the last generation of the Southern Song Dynasty (from the dynasty before the Ming Dynasty); in addition, "Journey to the West" The Huai'an dialect of Jiangsu is used in many places, but Qiu Chuji has been active in North China throughout his life and has never lived in Huai'an. There were also Taoist priests and literati from the Ming and Qing dynasties who believed that "Journey to the West" was a book for Taoist priests to refine alchemy.
During the Republic of China, Lu Xun, Hu Shi and others inferred that Wu Chengen of Huai'an was the author of the novel "Journey to the West" based on what was recorded in the "Huai'an Prefecture Chronicles" during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty, and based on previous discussions. This has become a conclusion.
In the late Republic of China, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after 1980, research on the author of "Journey to the West" has gradually become a hot topic. Scholars continue to question Wu Chengen's authorship.
The reason is that the writing of "Journey to the West" is never mentioned in the surviving poems and articles of Wu Cheng'en and his friends; secondly, the fact that Wu Chengen wrote "Journey to the West" recorded in "Huai'an Fuzhi" does not indicate that it is a romance or a barnyard official, but usually At this time, Romance and Barnyard Officials were not included in the local annals; thirdly, "Journey to the West" written by Wu Chengen was included in the geographical category (i.e. geography category) in the "Qianqingtang Bibliography" written by Huang Yuji, a scribe of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, some people have re-proposed that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji, or by his disciples and successors. There are also very few scholars who argue that "Journey to the West" was written by Li Chunfang, the "Qing Ci Prime Minister" of the Ming Dynasty. However, due to the sparse and far-fetched evidence, most scholars do not agree with this theory. On the other hand, the arguments proving that Wu Chengen is the author of "Journey to the West" seem to be more numerous and more convincing. The main ones are: 1. Wu Chengen's personal situation is completely consistent with the characteristics of the creator of "Journey to the West". Second, it provides more reasonable explanations for various doubts that are consistent with the actual situation. The third, and most convincing, is the study of dialects in various texts of Journey to the West. After 1980, research in this area made breakthrough progress, proving almost irrefutably that Wu Chengen was the author of "Journey to the West". (For related research, please refer to Liu Xiuye's works and Yan Jingchang's "Journey to the West" Poetry Rhythm and Author Issues)
So it is now generally believed that religion was prevalent in Ming Dynasty society, and it is related to the Tang Dynasty Master Xuanzang's journey to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. Biographies, legends and other religious legends and folk stories are widely circulated in society. It was under this social and cultural background that Wu Chengen used the above-mentioned biographies, legends and stories as materials to create the novel "Journey to the West" we see today. 》.
After Wu Chengen's re-conception, organization and writing, compared with the previously circulated biographies, legends, stories and commentaries, the novel "Journey to the West" is not only much richer in content, the storyline is more complete and rigorous, and the characters are more vivid. It is lively and full, the imagination is more colorful, and the language is simple and accessible. More importantly, the novel "Journey to the West" has reached unprecedented heights in terms of ideological and artistic realm. It can be said that he is a master of all things.
Wu Chengen (about 1504-about 1582), named Ruzhong, was born in Sheyangshan, and was a native of Huai'an, Jiangsu.
Wu Cheng'en was about 40 years old before he was able to make up for one year old Gongsheng student. He went to Beijing to wait for an official position, but was not selected. Because his mother's hometown was poor, he became a Changxing County magistrate. He was eventually falsely accused and was demoted two years later. He "went home" and made a living by selling literature in his later years. He lived to be nearly 80 years old.
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Please see: Red Learning
In the early 20th century, the question "Who is the author of Dream of Red Mansions?" once caused a debate in Chinese academic circles, and this debate still exists today. It can be roughly divided into two theories: first, the Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin; second, the author of Dream of Red Mansions was someone else.
As for the Dream of Red Mansions itself, it is said in the first chapter: The real author of this story is no longer known. It was copied, reviewed, added and deleted several times by Cao Xueqin. Generally speaking, it is a mainstream view that Cao Xueqin is the author of this book.
Cao Xueqin (?1715?1716?1724?1725?—?1763?1764?), whose given name was Zhan, whose courtesy name was Mengruan, and whose nicknames were Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestral home is Liaoyang. The ancestors were originally Han Chinese, but later became flag-registered and became Zhengbai Banner. A famous writer in the Qing Dynasty of China. The author of the classic "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Gao E (about 1738 - about 1815), a Manchu, was a writer of the Qing Dynasty. The other word is Lanshu, and the other word is Yunshi. His ancestral home is Tieling, Liaoning. He is the author of 40 sequels to "Dream of Red Mansions".
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Cao Xueqin (1715～1763) was a novelist in the Qing Dynasty. The name is Zhan (zhan), the courtesy name is Mengruan, and the names are Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestors were originally Han people and later became the "wrapper" of Zhengbai Banner in Manchuria. During the Kangxi period, starting from great-grandfather Cao Xi, three generations and four people inherited Jiangning weaving for 60 years, becoming a prominent aristocratic family. Later, due to the fierce internal struggles in the Qing palace, his father was implicated, convicted and demoted from his official position, his family property was confiscated, and his family gradually declined. Cao Xueqin's life coincided with the period when the Cao family was in decline. Cao Xueqin moved to the western suburbs of Beijing in his later years and lived in even greater poverty. When his youngest son died in 1762, Cao Xueqin was so heartbroken that he became ill. He finally died on February 12, 1763 due to poverty and illness without medical treatment (some say he died in 1764).
Cao Xueqin is a poet. His poems have novel ideas and their style is close to that of Li He, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. He is also a painter who likes to paint abrupt and steep rocks. Unfortunately, not many of his poems and paintings have survived. Cao Xueqin's greatest contribution is the creation of the literary masterpiece "A Dream of Red Mansions".
"A Dream of Red Mansions" was written in Cao Xueqin's desolate and difficult old age. It was originally called "The Story of the Stone". It has 80 chapters in its final draft and has been circulated in manuscripts. In 1791, Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E printed and published the book with movable type for the first time, with 120 chapters in total, and the title was changed to "A Dream of Red Mansions". The novel describes the tragedy of love and marriage between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai. It shows the rise and fall of the four major families of Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue, reveals the true inside story of the society that was gradually collapsing at the end of the feudal society, and reflects the emphasis on individuality in that era. demands for emancipation and equal human rights and a rudimentary spirit of democracy.
"Dream of Red Mansions" uses realist creative techniques to narrate and describe the rich real social life naturally and realistically, and creates a large number of typical characters. The author is good at depicting characters according to their status in daily life conflicts, and is also good at using an artistic atmosphere to highlight the characters' inner emotions. The characters in his works include the passionate and rebellious Jia Baoyu, the narcissistic and sentimental Lin Daiyu, the virtuous, kind and clever Xue Baochai, the pungent and vicious Wang Xifeng, the submissive Second Sister You, the resolute and unyielding Third Sister You, etc. Everything is lifelike. In the depiction of events and characters, the author uses a contrasting method to complement each other's descriptions of beauty and ugliness, virtuality and reality, domination and being ruled, creating an artistic world that is profound, profound, and profound. The language of "Dream of Red Mansions" is concise and pure, accurate, expressive and colorful, reaching the state of perfection. The use of poems and songs in the book plays a very good role in shaping the characters and developing the plot. The glorious achievement of "Dream of Red Mansions" reached the pinnacle of Chinese classical novels and had a great influence on later generations of family and social novels.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the creation of novels in our country entered a new period, especially the Zhanghui novels entered a stage of perfection. China's first chapter-style classical novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is the most widely circulated, the most influential, the highest achievement and the most ambitious, is the "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It is through Luo Guanzhong, an outstanding novelist who lived in this historical period. The rafter pen was born and became popular in the world. He made indelible and great contributions in the history of literary development in our country. At the same time, it also adds brilliant brilliance to the treasure house of world literature.
Luo Guanzhong, Mingben, also known as Huhai Sanren. The year of birth and death is unknown. A native of Qingyuan, Taiyuan (now Qingxu County, Taiyuan City), his ancestral home is Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan. His ancestor Luo Zhongxiang served in Qingzhou (now Qingxu) during the Later Tang Dynasty. Later, his hometown was flooded and the road was far away. He settled in Qingyuan, Taiyuan, and moved to Sigou Village in Baima Mountain (today's Baishigou) in the west of the city. His father, Luo Jinsheng, had six sons, and Guanzhong ranked second.
Probably because the ancestors of the Luo family were officials, later generations of the Luo family attached great importance to the family history education of "water source and wood" for their descendants, and have always maintained a family of "farming, reading, passing down the family, poetry and etiquette teaching children" wind. Under the influence of this family tradition, Guanzhong loved reading since childhood and was knowledgeable about classics and history, which laid a good foundation for his later creations. However, Guanzhong lived in an era in which national and class contradictions were extremely sharp and complex. The cruel rule and oppression of the Mongolian nobles in the Yuan Dynasty aroused the resistance of the people across the country, and the struggle to overthrow the rule of the Yuan Dynasty was in full swing. Rebels from all sides, such as Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Youliang, and Zhang Shicheng, not only fought against the Yuan army, but also merged with each other. It is said that Luo Guanzhong, who entered his youth, wandered around the world under the influence of this great historical turmoil, joined the uprising army led by Zhang Shicheng, and was incorporated into his shogunate as a shogunate. Moreover, Wang Qi's "Collection of Barnyard History" said that he "aspired to be king" and was a person with political ambitions. Some clues about this can be seen from his later "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Luo Guanzhong's engagement in the creation of novels seems to be due to his political frustration. It is precisely because of this that he had the time and possibility to devote himself to literary creation, becoming the first writer in the history of Chinese literature to devote all his efforts to novel creation. He has many works handed down from generation to generation, such as "Zhibiography of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "The Romance of the End of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties", "The Story of Sansui Pingyao", "Fengzhuanglou" and the drama "The Dragon and Tiger Meeting of Song Taizu", etc. According to legend, he also wrote the popular novels of the Seventeen Histories and participated in the writing of "Water Margin". The preface to "The Popular Romance of the Chronicles of the Western Jin Dynasty" commented by Chihuizhai says: "Luo was born at the wrong time, and his talent was too depressed to develop, so he began to write "Water Margin" to express his injustice."
Guanzhong's epic novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is probably his later work. This classic literary masterpiece describes the nearly century-long period from the Yellow Turban Uprising in the first year of Zhongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 18) to the unification of China by Sima Yan, the first year of Taikang in the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 280). history of political and military struggles. Based on the historical clues and historical figures provided by Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms", he drew extensively on Pei Songzhi's work on "Three Kingdoms" to fill in the gaps, prepare differences, punish errors, and argue. He preserved a large number of precious historical materials and absorbed the folk wisdom of more than a thousand years from the Western Jin Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty. Based on the rich nutrition of legends, and on this basis, combined with his life experience in participating in the peasant uprising army in the late Yuan Dynasty, he gave full play to his outstanding artistic talents, manipulated vertically and horizontally, and skillfully controlled them, vividly describing the vast and prosperous historical events in the past one hundred years. , completed this 750,000-word classic.
In this masterpiece, Guanzhong expressed his personal feelings of love and hatred, and objectively exposed the political, military, open, covert, legal and illegal conflicts between the feudal ruling groups. Conflict and struggle. It vividly depicts the feudal ruling class's strategies, tricks and conspiracies that compete for fame and wealth, intrigues, intrigues, and open fire and covert attacks. Intentionally or unintentionally, it reveals the true historical background and reasons why farmers were unable to live, took risks, and revolted one after another.
As for the artistic achievements of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", they are multifaceted, fully demonstrating Luo Guanzhong's amazing skills in character portrayal. Among the more than 400 characters in the book, whether they are the leaders of the group such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, or Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Zilong, Huang Zhong, Lu Su, Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, Guo Jia, Xu You, Zhang Liao, Lu Xun, as well as Wang Yun, Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, these great strategists, brave generals, loyal and traitorous ministers, all have distinctive and vivid personal characteristics.
Especially the portrayal of the images of Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao are really amazing and humanized.
Luo Guanzhong's depiction of the war is extremely successful, which fully proves that he did participate in the war activities of the peasant uprising in the late Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, the thrilling battlefield scenes and the rapidly changing battle situation can be described as ever-changing and distinctive, showing the diversity and complexity of war. However, it is precisely because of Luo Guanzhong's experience in participating in the war, coupled with his superhuman artistic skills and painstaking efforts in creation, that the description of war battles appeared in his writings, which are focused, well-proportioned, and dense. Alternately, the virtual and the real are reflected; the war scenes are laid out with great sway, ups and downs, wind and lightning, and majestic momentum; the battlefield atmosphere is exaggerated, and the outlines are randomly drawn, vivid, realistic, and vivid.
Luo Guanzhong was an outstanding classical novelist in my country during the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. It was he who pushed the literary style of Yihui novels to a mature stage. Many later scholars and writers gave him very high evaluations and compared him with Ma Siqian and Guan Hanqing. His great literary creation achievements have become precious wealth in the treasure house of Chinese literature and world literature. The "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" created by him is not only well-known in China, but also known to women and children. It has also been translated into languages ????in more than ten countries. It is popular all over the world and is loved by people all over the world. Abroad, his "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is called "a masterpiece truly rich in people's character", while "Encyclopedia Britannica" calls him "the first well-known art master".
Shi Naian, a native of the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, is generally considered to be the earliest creator of the novel "Water Margin". There is no precise information about his life so far. It is said that he was born in the second year of Yuanzhen (1296) of Yuan Chengzong and died in the third year of Hongwu (1370) of Ming Taizu. His original name was Er, also known as Zian. His ancestral home was Suzhou. He once served as an official in Qiantang. It is also said that he had participated in Zhang Shicheng's army. But these have yet to be confirmed
Wu Chengen (1510?-1582?) novelist of the Ming Dynasty. The courtesy name is Ruzhong, the nickname is Sheyangshan, and he is from Shanyang, Huai'an (Huai'an, Jiangsu). He was born into a family where an academic official became a businessman, and his family was poor. Wu Cheng'en was extremely intelligent since he was a child. "Huai'an Prefecture Chronicles" records that he was "sensitive and intelligent, well-versed in books, and wrote poems and essays." However, he failed in the scientific examination, and he was not recognized as "Sui Gong Sheng" until middle age. Later, he lived in Nanjing, and for a long time he relied on selling literature to support his family. In his later years, he was appointed as the magistrate of Changxing County due to his poor family. He could not stand the darkness of the officialdom, so he resigned angrily and died in poverty.
Wu Chengen likes to read wild history since he was a child, and is familiar with ancient myths and folklore. The frustration in the examination room and the difficulties in life deepened his understanding of the feudal imperial examination system and the dark social reality, prompting him to use the form of fantasy novels to express his inner dissatisfaction and resentment. He said to himself: "Although the title of my book is Zhiguai, it does not cover ghosts. It actually records the changes in the human world and provides some warning."
Wu Chengen's outstanding novel "Journey to the West" about gods and demons Based on the experience of monk Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty who went to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures, and based on works such as "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" and "The Biography of Tripitaka Master of Ci'en Temple of the Tang Dynasty", it was compiled, conceived and finally written. The work uses mythical characters to express the author's dissatisfaction with reality and his desire to change reality, reflecting the author's political ideal of establishing a kingdom of kings, virtuous men, and gods. The novel uses the eighty-one difficulties that Tang Monk and his disciples experienced on the way to learn Buddhist scriptures to reflect various situations in the real world. The novel has bold imagination and novel conception. It adopts the trinity shaping method of human, god and beast in character creation to create immortal artistic images such as Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. The whole book is tightly organized, complex but not chaotic, and the language is lively and vivid, mixed with dialects and slang, and is full of life. The theme dilutes the original religious color of the story, greatly enriches the realistic content of the work, and has a democratic tendency and the characteristics of the times. The work is satirical and humorous. It presents a unique style that is different from previous Buddhist scripture stories.
The emergence of "Journey to the West" opened up a new category of long chapter novels about gods and demons. The book's clever combination of good-natured ridicule, bitter satire and serious criticism directly influenced satirical novels. development. "Journey to the West" is the peak of romanticism in ancient novels. In the history of world literature, it is also a masterpiece of romanticism. The "American Encyclopedia" considers it "a mythical novel with rich content and brilliant ideas", and the "French Encyclopedia" says: "The descriptions of the stories in the book are full of humor and fun, giving readers strong interest." From Since the 19th century, it has been translated into more than ten languages ??including Japanese, English, French, German, Russian, and became popular in the world.
Most of Wu Chengen's poems and essays are scattered and lost, but 4 volumes of "Mr. Sheyang's Manuscripts" compiled by later generations exist. Origin and Version
The story of the Three Kingdoms was quite popular among ancient Chinese folk. It was put on the stage in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and more than 30 kinds of Three Kingdoms plays were performed in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. During the Zhizhi period of the Yuan Dynasty, "Quanxiang Three Kingdoms Zhi Ping Hua" published by the Yu family of Xin'an appeared. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong synthesized folk legends, operas and scripts, combined with historical materials from Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" and Pei Songzhi's notes, and based on his personal understanding of social life, he created "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The earliest extant edition is from Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. Published in 1999, it is commonly known as the "Jiajing edition" and has 24 volumes. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang and his son revised the historical events, added and deleted text, and revised it into the 120-chapter version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that is popular today.
There are many versions of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", mainly including: "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" printed by Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty, with simple words and simple content; In 2000, this book was most widely circulated in society. It has been reprinted and published many times by People's Literature Publishing House.
Author
Luo Guanzhong (between 1330 and 1400), famous as Huhai Sanren, was a popular novelist in the Ming Dynasty. His birthplace is said to be Taiyuan (today's Shanxi), and another is said to be Qiantang (today's Hangzhou, Zhejiang), which cannot be confirmed. According to legend, Luo Guanzhong once served as the secret agent of Zhang Shicheng, a peasant uprising army in the late Yuan Dynasty. In addition to "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he also wrote popular novels such as "The Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" and dramas such as "The Legend of Zhao Taizu, Dragon and Tiger". In addition, a considerable number of people believe that the last thirty chapters of "Water Margin" were also written by him.
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p>Author
There are generally three views on the author of "Water Margin":
The entire book was written by Luo Guanzhong.
Co-written by Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
The entire novel was written entirely by Shi Naian. This view is the most familiar.
The first theory has been proposed as early as the Ming Dynasty. Some people who support this view believe that Shi Naian is a fabricated person and does not exist in reality.
Those who hold the second view also have the following two opinions:
Some of them believe that the first seventy chapters of "Water Margin" were written by Shi Naian, and the later chapters were written by Shi Naian. Chapter 30 is written by Luo Guanzhong.
The Ming Dynasty's "Baichuan Shuzhi" said that "Water Margin" is "the original version of Shi Naian of Qiantang, compiled by Luo Guanzhong." In other words, it was mainly written by Shi Naian, and compiled and edited by Luo Guanzhong. This view is influential in academia.
Another view is that "Water Margin" is a cumulative mass creation. Undoubtedly, Shi Naian referenced, borrowed and absorbed a lot of materials during the creation process, including historical books, notes and some complete novels. , opera works or some fragments thereof, but Shi Naian’s creative work cannot be obliterated.
Shi Naian (1296-1370) was a Chinese novelist. The author of "Water Margin", one of China's four great classics. Born in Jiangsu Province, he is a native of Baijuchang, Xinghua. There is some controversy about the accuracy of his biographical information, and there is also a theory that this person has not been found. The main reason is that the author of Water Margin has always been controversial. One test shows that the book was not written by Shi Naian at all, but by Luo Guanzhong. In the TV series "Water Margin" shot by CCTV, the authors were written as Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
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Controversy about the author in academic circles
The author of Journey to the West is generally believed to be Wu Chengen of the Ming Dynasty. All versions of "Journey to the West" published today are signed by Wu Cheng'en. However, since the publication of "Journey to the West", there has been controversy over its author.
The various versions of "Journey to the West" circulated in the Ming Dynasty were not signed. Wang Xiangxu of the Qing Dynasty proposed in the "Book of Journey to the West" that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji in the Southern Song Dynasty. After this view was put forward, most literati in the Qing Dynasty agreed. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, people such as Ji Yun and others began to doubt this theory, believing that "Journey to the West" contains many descriptions of the customs and customs of the Ming Dynasty, and that Qiu Chuji was from the last generation of the Southern Song Dynasty (from the dynasty before the Ming Dynasty); in addition, "Journey to the West" The Huai'an dialect of Jiangsu is used in many places, but Qiu Chuji has been active in North China throughout his life and has never lived in Huai'an. There were also Taoist priests and literati from the Ming and Qing dynasties who believed that "Journey to the West" was a book for Taoist priests to refine alchemy.
During the Republic of China, Lu Xun, Hu Shi and others inferred that Wu Chengen of Huai'an was the author of the novel "Journey to the West" based on what was recorded in the "Huai'an Prefecture Chronicles" during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty, and based on previous discussions. This has become a conclusion.
In the late Republic of China, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after 1980, research on the author of "Journey to the West" has gradually become a hot topic. Scholars continue to question Wu Chengen's authorship. The reason is that the writing of "Journey to the West" is never mentioned in the surviving poems and articles of Wu Cheng'en and his friends; secondly, the fact that Wu Chengen wrote "Journey to the West" recorded in "Huai'an Fuzhi" does not indicate that it is a romance or a barnyard official, but usually At this time, Romance and Barnyard Officials were not included in the local annals; thirdly, "Journey to the West" written by Wu Chengen was included in the geographical category (i.e. geography category) in the "Qianqingtang Bibliography" written by Huang Yuji, a scribe of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, some people have re-proposed that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji, or by his disciples and successors. There are also very few scholars who argue that "Journey to the West" was written by Li Chunfang, the "Qing Ci Prime Minister" of the Ming Dynasty. However, due to the sparse and far-fetched evidence, most scholars do not agree with this theory. On the other hand, the arguments proving that Wu Chengen is the author of "Journey to the West" seem to be more numerous and more convincing. The main ones are: 1. Wu Chengen's personal situation is completely consistent with the characteristics of the creator of "Journey to the West". Second, it provides more reasonable explanations for various doubts that are consistent with the actual situation. The third, and most convincing, is the study of dialects in various texts of Journey to the West. After 1980, research in this area made breakthrough progress, proving almost irrefutably that Wu Chengen was the author of "Journey to the West".
(For related research, please refer to Liu Xiuye's works and Yan Jingchang's "Journey to the West" Poetry Rhythm and Author Issues)
So it is now generally believed that religion was prevalent in Ming Dynasty society, and it is related to the Tang Dynasty Master Xuanzang's journey to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. Biographies, legends and other religious legends and folk stories are widely circulated in society. It was under this social and cultural background that Wu Chengen used the above-mentioned biographies, legends and stories as materials to create the novel "Journey to the West" we see today. 》.
After Wu Chengen's re-conception, organization and writing, compared with the previously circulated biographies, legends, stories and commentaries, the novel "Journey to the West" is not only much richer in content, the storyline is more complete and rigorous, and the characters are more vivid. It is lively and full, the imagination is more colorful, and the language is simple and accessible. More importantly, the novel "Journey to the West" has reached unprecedented heights in terms of ideological and artistic realm. It can be said that he is a master of all things.
Wu Chengen (about 1504-about 1582), named Ruzhong, was born in Sheyangshan, and was a native of Huai'an, Jiangsu.
Wu Cheng'en was about 40 years old before he was able to make up for one year old Gongsheng student. He went to Beijing to wait for an official position, but was not selected. Because his mother's hometown was poor, he became a Changxing County magistrate. He was eventually falsely accused and was demoted two years later. He "went home" and made a living by selling literature in his later years. He lived to be nearly 80 years old.
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Please see: Red Learning
In the early 20th century, the question "Who is the author of Dream of Red Mansions?" once caused a debate in Chinese academic circles, and this debate still exists today. It can be roughly divided into two theories: first, the Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin; second, the author of Dream of Red Mansions was someone else.
As for the Dream of Red Mansions itself, it is said in the first chapter: The real author of this story is no longer known. It was copied, reviewed, added and deleted several times by Cao Xueqin. Generally speaking, it is a mainstream view that Cao Xueqin is the author of this book.
Cao Xueqin (?1715?1716?1724?1725?—?1763?1764?), whose given name was Zhan, whose courtesy name was Mengruan, and whose nicknames were Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestral home is Liaoyang. The ancestors were originally Han Chinese, but later became flag-registered and became Zhengbai Banner. A famous writer in the Qing Dynasty of China. The author of the classic "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Gao E (about 1738 - about 1815), a Manchu, was a writer of the Qing Dynasty. The other word is Lanshu, and the other word is Yunshi. His ancestral home is Tieling, Liaoning. He is the author of 40 sequels to "Dream of Red Mansions".
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Cao Xueqin (1715～1763) was a novelist in the Qing Dynasty. The name is Zhan (zhan), the courtesy name is Mengruan, and the names are Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestors were originally Han people and later became the "wrapper" of Zhengbai Banner in Manchuria. During the Kangxi period, starting from great-grandfather Cao Xi, three generations and four people inherited Jiangning weaving for 60 years, becoming a prominent aristocratic family. Later, due to the fierce internal struggles in the Qing palace, his father was implicated, convicted and demoted from his official position, his family property was confiscated, and his family gradually declined. Cao Xueqin's life coincided with the period of the Cao family's prosperity and decline. Cao Xueqin moved to the western suburbs of Beijing in his later years and lived in even greater poverty. When his youngest son died in 1762, Cao Xueqin was so heartbroken that he became ill. He finally died on February 12, 1763 due to poverty and illness without medical treatment (some say he died in 1764).
Cao Xueqin is a poet. His poems have novel ideas and their style is close to that of Li He, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. He is also a painter who likes to paint abrupt and steep rocks. Unfortunately, not many of his poems and paintings have survived. Cao Xueqin's greatest contribution is the creation of the literary masterpiece "A Dream of Red Mansions".
"A Dream of Red Mansions" was written in Cao Xueqin's desolate and difficult old age. It was originally called "The Story of the Stone". It has 80 chapters in its final draft and has been circulated in manuscripts. In 1791, Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E printed and published the book with movable type for the first time, with 120 chapters in total, and the title was changed to "A Dream of Red Mansions". The novel describes the tragedy of love and marriage between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai. It shows the rise and fall of the four major families of Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue, reveals the true inside story of the society that was gradually collapsing at the end of the feudal society, and reflects the emphasis on individuality in that era. demands for emancipation and equal human rights and a rudimentary spirit of democracy. "Dream of Red Mansions" uses realist creative techniques to narrate and describe rich real social life naturally and realistically, and creates a large number of typical characters. The author is good at depicting characters according to their status in daily life conflicts, and is also good at using an artistic atmosphere to highlight the characters' inner emotions. The characters in his works include the passionate and rebellious Jia Baoyu, the narcissistic and sentimental Lin Daiyu, the virtuous, kind and clever Xue Baochai, the pungent and vicious Wang Xifeng, the submissive Second Sister You, the resolute and unyielding Third Sister You, etc. Everything is lifelike. In the depiction of events and characters, the author uses contrasting methods to complement each other's descriptions of beauty and ugliness, virtuality and reality, domination and being ruled, creating an artistic world that is profound, profound, and profound. The language of "Dream of Red Mansions" is concise and pure, accurate, expressive and colorful, reaching the state of perfection. The use of poems and songs in the book plays a very good role in shaping the characters and developing the plot. The glorious achievement of "Dream of Red Mansions" reached the pinnacle of Chinese classical novels and had a great influence on later generations of family and social novels.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the creation of novels in our country entered a new period, especially the Zhanghui novels entered a stage of perfection.
China's first chapter-style classical novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", which is the most widely circulated, the most influential, the highest achievement and the most ambitious, is the "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It is through Luo Guanzhong, an outstanding novelist who lived in this historical period. The rafter pen was born and became popular in the world. He has made indelible and great contributions in the history of literary development in our country. At the same time, it also adds brilliant brilliance to the treasure house of world literature.
Luo Guanzhong, Mingben, also known as Huhai Sanren. The year of birth and death is unknown. A native of Qingyuan, Taiyuan (now Qingxu County, Taiyuan City), his ancestral home is Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan. His ancestor Luo Zhongxiang served in Qingzhou (now Qingxu) during the Later Tang Dynasty. Later, his hometown was flooded and the road was far away.
He settled in Qingyuan, Taiyuan, and moved to Baima Mountain in the west of the city (today's