Breaking Through the Bonds of Confucian Orthodoxy -- Yangming Xinxue and the Literary and Artistic Trends of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Author: Pan Yungao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-11-01
Features: This book discusses the literary and artistic trends of the Ming and Qing dynasties, tracing them not to Li Zhi but to Wang Yangming, who in fact originated them. Li Zhi's ideas certainly had a profound influence on the literary and artistic trends of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, other figures who greatly influenced these trends include Xu Wei and Tang Xianzu. Tang Xianzu also highly esteemed Li Zhi, while Xu Wei died before Li Zhi and was unaware of his existence. Both Xu Wei and Tang Xianzu, like Li Zhi, were followers of Wang Yangming's school of thought. Therefore, when discussing the theoretical foundation of the literary and artistic trends of the Ming and Qing dynasties, one must trace them back to Wang Yangming's theory of the mind. This book extends its analysis from the late Ming literary and artistic trends into the Qing dynasty, reaching as far as Cao Xueqin, Zheng Xie, and Yuan Mei. This is because their works clearly show the influence of Xu Wei, Li Zhi, Tang Xianzu, and Yuan Hongdao. Xu Wei, Li Zhi, Tang Xianzu, and Yuan Hongdao all played a role in shaping and influencing the literary and artistic trends of the Ming and Qing dynasties, primarily by proposing important aesthetic concepts. For example, Xu Wei's "theory of authenticity," Li Zhi's "theory of the pure heart" and "theory of the artistic transformation," Tang Xianzu's "theory of prioritizing emotion," and Yuan Hongdao's "theory of the spirit" all became widely discussed and used in the literary and artistic trends of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Xu Wei's "theory of authenticity" has two aspects: "sincerity of emotion" and "simplicity of language," which were proposed in the context of theatrical creation. "Sincerity of emotion" aligns with Tang Xianzu's emphasis on emotion, while "simplicity of language" reveals the characteristic of vernacular language in this popular literature. Li Zhi's "theory of the pure heart" (also known as the "theory of the true mind") holds that the true mind and genuine emotion are the lifeblood and essential features of literature and art. Therefore, he said, "The greatest literature in the world has never emerged from anything other than the pure heart." The "theory of the artistic transformation" refers to the idea that literary works are naturally and effortlessly created, reflecting life and depicting aesthetic subjects truthfully, without any trace of artificiality. This represents the highest realm of art. Li Zhi praised works like "Moon Worship" and "The Western Chamber" and proposed this concept, which later came to be used in evaluating the portrayal of characters in fiction. Tang Xianzu's "theory of prioritizing emotion" and Yuan Hongdao's "theory of the spirit" both emphasize genuine emotion, though their focuses differ. Tang emphasizes emotion in theater, requiring the author to have genuine emotion and to portray the genuine emotions of the characters in the play. Yuan, on the other hand, emphasizes poetry and prose, advocating that the author should "express their unique spirit" to give their works personality and a distinctive style. Yuan Hongdao, like Tang Xianzu, Li Zhi, and Xu Wei, was an independent and unconventional figure who valued originality in writing and avoided imitating others. Their way of thinking can be traced back to Wang Yangming's "theory of the mind as the foundation" and the concept of subjectivity.