Early Modern Chinese Vernacular
Literature (Volume D)
Mongols, 1279
• end of Yuan Dynasty
• Mongol invasion
• end of Chinese
Confucian education
• end of traditional
government
recruitment practices
• use of vernacular
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
Chuanqi
Chinese Variety Plays
• zaju (northern)
• chuanqi (southern)
• “tales of the
marvelous”
• Ming Dynasty
• qu-pai
• stylization
• minimal scenery
• interwoven plots
Confucianism: The Peach Blossom Fan
• perfection through personal growth,
communal experience
• righteousness, altruism, propriety
• attention to social order, loyalty
• respect for elders
• self-governance
Four Classics
• Water Margin (14th century)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms (14th
century)
• Journey to the West (16th century)
• The Story of the Stone (18th century)
Wu Cheng’en: Journey to the West
Qing Dynasty
Cao Xueqin: The Story of the Stone
China from Ming to Qing
Test Your Knowledge
During the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368),
___________ .
a. public life continued as it had in previous
dynasties
b. strict censorship laws were enacted
c. classical literature lost its central place
d. Confucianism governed political life
Test Your Knowledge
Which of the following is true of the Ming
Dynasty (1368–1644)?
a. classical literature became popular and
vernacular literature almost disappeared
b. vernacular literature gained popularity as
classical literature continued to fade
c. neither classical nor vernacular literature
were prized
d. classical literature and vernacular both
grew in popularity
Test Your Knowledge
Chuanqi translates roughly as _________ .
a. records of marvels
b. tales of the past
c. ancient heroes
d. operatic drama
Test Your Knowledge
Which of the following characterizes
vernacular writers during the Ming period?
a. They often elaborated on existing stories.
b. They rarely wrote prose fiction.
c. They placed great importance on
originality.
d. They had to write anonymously.
Test Your Knowledge
Manchu armies that formed the Qing
Dynasty (1644–1911) were __________ .
a. from north China
b. from south China
c. not from China
d. from various Chinese prefectures
This concludes the Lecture
PowerPoint presentation for
The Norton Anthology
Of World Literature
Visit the StudySpace at:
http://wwnorton.com/studyspace
For more learning resources,
please visit the StudySpace site for
The Norton Anthology
Of World Literature.