Name: Feng Menglong
Also known as "Zi Long Youzi Youzi Oil Dragon"
Gender: male
Date of birth and death: 1574— 1646.
Dynasty: Ming dynasty
Literary period: Ming Dynasty literature.
Representative works: Yu Shiming's words of warning, words of awakening, and words of perseverance.
Contemporary writers: Ling Mengchu, Xia Wanchun.
The writer's life:
Popular writers and dramatists in Ming Dynasty. Words are still dragons. Also known as Ziyou, posthumous title Tour, Master of Mohanzhai, Three-term Ancient Songs, Ci Slave, etc. Changzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu) was born in a scholar-bureaucrat family. My brother dreamed of laurel trees and was good at drawing. Brother Meng Xiong, a big disciple, studied under Feng Menglong's Spring and Autumn Annals, and there are poems handed down from generation to generation. The three brothers are also called "Wuxia Sanfeng".
Feng Menglong was brilliant when he was a teenager. Knowledgeable and admired by peers. He is broad-minded and eclectic in his studies, and his actions are often not bound by Confucianism. He has co-authored with Wen, Yao Ximeng and Qian. When I was studying in Xitang, Hou Shi, Jiading, I got entangled with Hou Tongzeng and other celebrities, and the article was returned. When Xiong Tingbi was governor in Nanking, he regarded Feng Menglong as a scholar and tried to recruit him. However, due to his early admission, he repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations, and was trapped among students for a long time, down and out, and once made a living by teaching in the library. At the end of Wanli, Feng Menglong was invited by Tian to give a lecture on Chunqiu in Macheng. In the first year of the apocalypse (162 1), Feng Menglong traveled around the world, and the following year he offended his boss and returned to his hometown. In the sixth year of the apocalypse, eunuchs arrested Zhou Shunchang and Feng Menglong was persecuted. At the time of the riding rampage, Feng Menglong became angry from embarrassment, wrote a book, and completed the compilation of The Imperial Tale (the old title of ancient and modern novels), Shi Jing, Xing Yan, Tan Gui's evaluation of ancient and modern times, Tai Ping Guang Ji Chao, Think Tank, Love History and Taixia. In the third year of Chongzhen (1630), he was qualified as a tribute student and was taught in Dantu County. In the seventh year, he was promoted to Shouning County, Fujian Province. During his term of office, he edited Shouning Houzhi (biography of officials in Shouning County, Kangxi). After 1 1 years, he retired and returned to his hometown. In his later years, he continued to tirelessly engage in novel creation and drama arrangement research. In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (1644), the peasant uprising army led by Li Zicheng overthrew the Ming Dynasty, and Feng Menglong was heartbroken from the standpoint of feudal orthodoxy. He compiled a Chronicle of Shen Jia with the hope of ZTE. When the Qing soldiers went south, he missed his old country and moved between Zhejiang and Fujian. He published a book "Zhongxing Lulve" to promote resistance to the Qing Dynasty. In the second year of Longwu, that is, the third year of Qing Shunzhi (1646), he died of grief and indignation in the spring. It is said that he was killed by Qing soldiers.
"Just surprised at the beginning, if Tian Fei brother. For a time, celebrities pushed the collar, and the eternal romance led to future generations. Peach and plum are planted with flower dew, and the pipa flows in the Qing court. " When I came back, I went to Dongyin and learned to cook by myself. "Wen Hejian's" Feng Youlong "is the best summary of Feng Menglong's life.
Literary Thought: Feng Menglong loved Li Zhuowu's literary thought all his life and was deeply influenced by it. He clearly pointed out: "Confucian scholars know that reason is the model of emotion, but who knows that truth is the dimension of reason?" ("Love History" Volume I "General Comment") Everything is based on truth, and only sincerity is true. Therefore, he openly advocated that "the country and the world should be affectionate" (preface to love history) and opposed the neo-Confucianism tradition of preserving justice and eliminating human desires to maintain the relationship between people. In terms of literature, Feng Menglong thinks that there are two kinds of literature with different natures: one is real literature from Ye's mouth, and the other is fake literature that recommends gentlemen and bachelors to be happy. Only the literature that naturally originates from China's feelings can be regarded as real literature and can express people's temperament. The Book of Songs is a person who is good at expressing temperament. Since the Six Dynasties, poetry has been used to "see talents", "learn people" and "give lectures", so it has become a cliche and can no longer well express the temperament of a talented person. So it evolved into a word, and the word was damaged into a song, a zaju, and a legendary drama. With the development of literature and the change of style, "solidity is also the necessity of temperament" (preface to "A New Sound of Walking in the Snow"). If the song is not enough to express people's temperament, "it is bound to change again, except" Pink Lotus "and" Jujube Rod "("Taixia New Drama Preface "). In Feng Menglong's view, literature should originate from people's feelings and express people's temperament, and people's temperament is the most active force to promote the development and change of literature. Once a certain literature becomes a tool for preaching, it will become rigid and be replaced by another literature that can express people's temperament. This literary thought, which advocates nature and expresses people's temperament, breaks the principle of judging literature by feudal orthodoxy, and is undoubtedly a criticism and denial of literature being used by emperors, for recreation and for helping leisure. It is even more remarkable to think that there are two kinds of literature: true literature and false literature, to advocate true literature and oppose false literature, and to think that the process of literary reform is the process in which Fu Tian's wild and innovative living literature replaces stale literature. Feng Menglong engaged in various literary activities under the guidance of this progressive literary thought.
Advocacy and arrangement of folk songs and popular novels Feng Menglong published two collections of folk songs, Guazhier and Folk Songs, around the 40th year of Wanli (16 12), which included more than 800 folk songs circulating in Wuzhong. Most of these works are Fu Tian's Spectrum of Love Affairs, written by wild and uninhibited people, recommended by gentry and bachelors, and not published in poetry. Feng Menglong loved them and put them into a book at the risk of being attacked, which made them widely circulated, because he thought these works were "the sound of folk melody", "natural writings between heaven and earth" and "Ruofu borrowed men's and women's true feelings to make fake drugs, which were attributed to hanging branches" (Preface to Folk Songs). For example, the Clay Fighter and Wan Li in Hang Zhi Er describe the faithful love between men and women, which is simple, natural and sentimental, and express the requirements of the times for individual liberation. This undoubtedly has the significance of breaking through the false and cruel feudal ethics, striving for freedom and happiness, and emphasizing human value. After publication, it was all the rage, "telling the world, inspiring people" and "really shocking" (Shen Defu's Wild Collection Fashion Definition). But there are also some pornographic and vulgar descriptions with low style.
Feng Menglong is also an active advocate in popular novels. He believes: "Generally speaking, the Tang people chose words to enter the literary heart; Song people are popular and harmonious. There are few words in the world, so novels are endowed with fewer words and more popularity. Try the speaker's description on the spot today, some are gratified, some are sad, some are in tears, some are singing and dancing; If you want to grasp the knife again, you must worship, you must make a decision, and you must donate money; Those who fear are brave, those who are immoral are virtuous, those who are thin are depressed, and those who are stubborn are down. " Although the Book of Filial Piety and The Analects of Confucius are recited every day, they are not necessarily so touching and profound. (Preface to Ancient and Modern Novels) This shows that Feng Menglong has realized that popular literature has a wide and profound artistic influence among uneducated citizens and farmers. He advocated popular literature in order to free novels from the pure speculation, reading and leisure of a few "literate" people and make them adapt to the aesthetic taste of the deaf. Feng Menglong has a large collection of ancient and modern popular novels. During the Apocalypse, there were 120 articles that could be selected as "people who benefited from Li Er" and published in three phases. This is the so-called Yu's statement, harmony and prosperity, collectively referred to as "three words."
Sanyan and other novels Sanyan include some old works in Song and Yuan Dynasties, some new works in Ming Dynasty and those put forward by Feng Menglong, but it is difficult to distinguish them clearly. Whether it is the old works of Song and Yuan Dynasties or the new works of Ming Dynasty, Feng Menglong has added, deleted and polished them to varying degrees. These works have a wide range of themes and complex contents. There are condemnation of the ugliness of feudal bureaucrats and praise of the virtue of honest officials, praise of friendship and love, and condemnation of treachery. What is more noteworthy is that there are many works describing the lives of ordinary people. For example, Shi Runze's Missing Friends on the Beach, Jiang Xingge's Reunion Pearl Shirt, Du Shiniang's Angry Box, and Oil Salesman's Monopoly. In these works, people's feelings and values should be respected. The moral standards and marriage principles advocated are contrary to feudal ethics and traditional concepts. Qin Zhong, who sells oil, is favored by heptachlor, who sells flowers. Firstly, he is honest, knowledgeable and respects human dignity. Shen Qixian made up her mind to commit herself to Qin Zhong, saying, "Clothes and vegetables are not resentful until death", because she clearly saw that those children who are dressed and clothed are dissolute and have no sincerity to go to Guan Huaiyu, which put forward a new standard in marriage and love: mutual understanding and mutual respect. Family, power, wealth and status are spurned. This is an energetic expression of citizens' thoughts, which is of great significance for breaking through feudal customs and striving for pure love at that time. There are also some works in Sanyan that describe immortality and promote feudal ethics. Therefore, "Sanyan" not only shows the new ideas in the embryonic period of capitalism, but also retains the negative, decadent and vulgar old consciousness. This phenomenon of interweaving progress and backwardness is the basic feature of emerging citizen literature. In artistic expression, the excellent works of Sanyan not only pay attention to the integrity of the story, the faltering of the plot and the richness of the details, but also mobilize various means of expression to portray the characters. As the preface to ancient and modern wonders says, "it is very similar to the difference of human feelings and the world. It can be said that the purpose of writing joys and sorrows is to praise differences and bring forth new ones." This indicates that the national style and characteristics of China's short vernacular novels have been formed. Sanyan is the literature of an era. Its publication not only saved the annihilation of many old articles in Song and Yuan Dynasties, but also promoted the development and prosperity of short vernacular novels with far-reaching influence. Illustrations of Tianxuzhai's ancient and modern novels in Ming Dynasty
Feng Menglong also has two novels: Ping Yao Ji and New Romance. The Biography of Pingyao is a supplement to Luo Guanzhong's Biography of Pingyao, and its frequency has doubled. It was completed in about forty years of Wanli. In this novel, Feng Menglong puts forward a thought-provoking question, "Demons are bred by people", which is also the characteristic of description. However, there is a strong hostility to the peasant uprising, and the dirt of karma is heavy, and its social value and significance are far less than "Sanyan". The New Biography of Guo Li was adapted 180 times according to the Biography of Guo Li completed by Yu in his later years. It is based on Zuo Zhuan and Historical Records, and it is also very rich in other books. The assessment is very detailed. The success or failure of every country, whether it is right or wrong, is ugly, honest, well-documented and well-connected. However, due to the lack of literary talent and artistic charm, it is difficult to compare with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and its position in the history of novels cannot be compared with Sanyan.
As a dramatist, Feng Menglong's main activities are to modify legends, modify lyrics, and give opinions on the creation and performance of traditional operas. As for Feng Menglong's legendary works, there are only two kinds handed down from generation to generation: Tales of Two Heroes and Everything is Ready. Although they can keep the melody, sometimes witty, suitable for performance, but what they write lacks practical significance. Feng Menglong attached importance to the revision and revision of the music score because he saw the legendary works at that time, and the phenomenon of "people turning tricks and painting gourds at home" (Preface to the Music Law) was serious. In order to correct this shortcoming and revive it, he advocated revising the music score and formulating the music method in order to "hang the music for contemporary talents" (ibid.). At the same time, it puts forward "three methods of ci learning", emphasizing that phonological words can not be neglected. In Feng Menglong's view, an excellent script should be sincere and novel, with strict and coordinated rhymes, clear words and brilliant literary talent, and be good at both on the desk. Feng Menglong was driven by this idea and engaged in the revision of legends. Feng Menglong has revised dozens of works, and now there are 17 kinds that can be tested, among which there are many famous works, such as The Peony Pavilion in Handan by Tang Xianzu, The West Building by Jin Yuan, Grasping Snow, Connecting Man and Animals, Li Yu's Reunion Forever, and Flower Picking. In the process of revision, Feng Menglong emphasized that the purpose of Guan is true, natural and reasonable, highlighting the center and opposing branches and vines. What is more clear is that the "Banner" focuses on generosity, highlighting Yue's patriotism and love for the military and civilians. He also pays attention to the multi-faceted characterization of characters, making them vivid and vivid. In order to give full play to the role of the legendary dragon. In his revised Dining Room, he once endowed all kinds of characters with different personality characteristics. "Although a woman has an ugly chest, she is also embarrassed" (Preface to Restaurant). For the melody, Feng Menglong always modifies it according to the soundtrack to facilitate singing. The reason why he wants to revise the Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu is because he thinks that this masterpiece with unlimited talents is just a "book on the desk, not a spectrum of the scene" (preface to a romantic dream). Feng Menglong's revised Peony Pavilion is different from Tang Xianzu's original work, but it does make Kunqu opera easy to sing. Feng Menglong's final edition has been adopted in some famous Kunqu operas, such as Spring Fragrance as a School, Dream in the Garden, Picking up Paintings and Calling them Paintings. Feng Menglong's legendary works played a positive role in correcting the tendency of writing off the stage in the late Ming Dynasty and prospering the opera.
Feng Menglong also has many exquisite theories on the performing arts of traditional Chinese opera. In the preface of Biography of Two Heroes, he suggested that "singers" must recognize the tone of the merchants in the palace, and their voices should be clear and rich, and they should not be "noisy" or "lip, tongue, teeth and throat are indistinguishable". In the more legendary eyebrow evaluation, actors are always "prompted" where the "knot" is and the play needs to be done; Don't omit any songs when performing. Actors are required to carefully understand the characters' thoughts and feelings, temperament and demeanor, as well as their artistic environment, performance expression and personality. This shows that Feng Menglong is deliberately exploring the laws of performing arts and has made some theoretical summaries.
Feng Menglong's Sanqu Collection "Wan Zhuan Ge" and his poetry collection "Qi Lezhai Draft" have both been lost. From the remaining dozens of works, we can see that most of his Sanqu works are "extremely imitating others". His poems are well-known. Although he is not a poet, he also has quite a few works. For example, there is a sentence in the "Cui Ke" written by the magistrate of a county, "Take green □ early rice, hang white orphans". As Zhong Xing commented, "The next sentence is even worse." When these words came from the mouth of officials, they could do nothing. (The Return of Ming Poetry, Volume 7)
In addition, Feng Menglong also participated in the proofreading and editing of The Whole Biography of the Water Margin, and commented and sorted out Biography of Ancient and Modern Times, Tai Ping Guang Ji Chao, Think Tank, Love History and Taixia Zou Xin. There are more than ten kinds of jokes, political theories and other works handed down, and he also wrote The Covenant of Lin Jing, which studies the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Literature in the Ming Dynasty is characterized by the prosperity of novels, operas and folk songs. There are many great writers of novels and operas in Ming Dynasty, but Feng Menglong is the only one who has made outstanding contributions to novels, operas and folk songs.