A Discourse on the Gothic Style in Liao Zhai Zhi Yi (Strange Chinese Stories)

Author: Yuan-Jen Fang(Department of Humanities, National Open University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 54, No. 2
Date：September 2009
Pages：37-64
DOI：10.3966/207451922009095402003

Abstract：

Liao Zhai Zhi Yi (LZZY, Strange Chinese Stories) employs gods, human beings, ghosts, foxes and elves as the subject and builds private temporal and spatial coordinates to relate mankind and substances in the most imaginary way; moreover, it expresses the optimal artistic extremity in an excellent Gothic style and thus become a classis of Chinese Gothic Literature. Due to the rarity of the papers discoursing Gothic style, this paper attempts to inquire the category of Gothic style,determined factors, aesthetic characteristics, artistic values and the demerits arising from the curiosity of LZZY as to discourse the aesthetic foundation and properties and the relation with the tradition and further to embody the aesthetic values of LZZY via the text and annotations of LZZY as the fundamental and autobiography and works of Pu, Song-ling (the Author) as the literature along with the developmental alteration and novelistic aesthetics and the related essays of literature theories and criticisms of classical Chinese novels.

Keywords：classical Chinese novel, literature theories and criticisms, style, Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, Pu,Song-ling

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