Romance of the western chamber pdf

“It is a general rule that those women endowed by Heaven with great beauty invariably either destroy themselves or destroy someone else” (Norton 1339)

– ™ Author ™ Time/Date of Composition ™ Contextual Information ™ Form ™ Themes

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– Author

™ Yuan Zhen (779 – 831 CE) was a government minister during the Tang Dynasty

™ Zhen formed part of a literary circle including the poet Bo Juyi, which rejected: “the courtly trends of the time and called for a revival of the moral themes and the straightforward style of ancient literature” (“Yuan Zhen” from Encyclopedia Britannica)

(“Yuan Chen” via Wikimedia)

– ™ Yuan Zhen only wrote one story, and that is “The

Story of Yingying” ™ Date of composition is uncertain Probably written

“while he was taking the civil service examination” (Norton 1331)

Time/Date

– ™ “The Story of Yingying” was intended as a “warming

scroll” à “a piece of writing that candidates circulated informally in the hope of getting the attention of potential patrons” (Norton 1331-32)

™ Some argue the short story is a thinly veiled autobiography of Yuan Zhen’s life (Norton 1332)

Contextual Information

– ™ “The Story of Yingying” is an example of chuanqi,

meaning “records of marvels” (Norton 1331) – Chuanqi as a term first appears in a short story

collection arranged by Pei Xing (825 – 880 CE) – The term can also refer to Southern Chinese drama;

important not to confuse them ™ Chuanqi are stories about love, heroism, and

sometimes include supernatural elements (Norton 1331)

Form

– ™ Authors of chuanqi were very educated men, and the

stories were meant for other educated people –  In other words: chuanqi were not read by everyone

™ Chuanqi continue to be popular today, as you can see in the modern adaptation Romance of the Western Chamber

Form

– ™ Like the Thousand and One Nights, “The Story of

Yingying” contains a number of forms, including: prose narration, a letter, love lyric poetry, and lament poetry

™ Reminder: “form” simply means the writing structure

Form

– ™ Prose narration: when a narrator tells a story ™ E.g.: “During the Zhenyuan period, there lived a

young man named Zhang. He was agreeable and refined, and good looking, but firm and self- contained, and capable of no improper act” (Norton 1332)

™ In case ^, someone is telling a story about a young man named Zang

Form

– ™ A letter: a message to someone else ™ E.g.: “I have read your letter with its message of

consolation, and it filled my childish heart with mingled grief and joy. In addition you sent me a box of ornaments to adorn my hair and a stick of pomade to make my lips smooth. It was most kind of you; but for whom am I to make myself attractive? As I look at these presents my breast is filled with sorrow” (Norton 1336)

™ The ^ is a letter from Miss Cui to Zhang

Form

– ™ Love lyrics: lyric poetry expresses personal

emotions. Love lyrics express personal emotions about love

™ E.g.: I await the moon in the western chamber Where the breeze comes through the half-opened door Sweeping the wall the flower shadows move: I imagine it is my lover who comes (Norton 1334)

Form

– ™ Lament poem: a lament is an expression of grief or

sorrow, and a lament poem is an expression of grief told through poetry

™ E.g.: Cast off and abandoned, what can I saw now, Whom you loved so briefly long ago? Any love you had then for me Will do for the one you have now. (Norton 1339)

Form

– ™ Love ™ Duty & responsibility ™ Proper social behavior

Themes