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Vernacular Literature in China

By:Jackie Swartz, Jason Uribe, Matias Quiroz

Historical Background

Cultural Background

  • In the 13th Century, the region of China was conquered by the Mongols who established a widespread empire in the East.
  • The Mongols established themselves under a dynastic title of “Yuan” and did not adopt Confucian principles in the imperial government.
  • The discontinued use of traditional Confucian values disrupted the links between literature and the Chinese Culture.
  • Despite a later adoption of the Chinese examination system; classic Chinese literature was never fully re-incorporated into the core of Chinese life.
  • In the manner of reducing written works to the study of intellectuals, Chinese and Western society shared a similarity in that classic literature was part of civilization and social life, however not the core (Norton 35).

The Rise of Vernacular Literature in China

  • In order to develop a well-rounded understanding of Vernacular Chinese Literature, Classical Chinese literature and Confucian works can be studied.
  • Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who believed in an ideology which contained guiding principles about the ideal man, society, and interpersonal interactions.
  • Confucian teachings are found in the “Lunyu or Analects, and form the foundation of much of subsequent Chinese speculation on the education and comportment of the ideal man,” (Stanford).
  • The ideals and thought process of Confucius’ works were introduced into Chinese government, intellectual thought, literary development, and commonplace events throughout the region.

  • As classical literature diminished from society’s spotlight, commonplace literary works such as plays and fictitious works developed to entertain an increasingly urban and centralized region.
  • “Plays, verse romances, and prose stories were often elaborations of some source in classical language, spinning out a few pages into thirty or a thousand.” (Norton 35).
  • Vernacular literature was more detail-oriented than the classical literature from which it was founded upon.
  • These stories entertained various audiences and eventually led to notable trends in Chinese society. The educated and elite favored Neo-Confucian works and believed in strict discipline while the masses favored vernacular literature which promoted “liberty, violent energy, and passion.” (Norton 36)

Background: Wu Cheng-En and Monkey

Background: Wu Cheng-En and “Monkey””

Works Cited

  • Published in 1592
  • Core of the story had historical basis in in the Buddhist monk Hsiian Tsang, or Tripitaka on his journey from China to India in search of Buddhist scriptures (Waley 40).
  • His documented accounts had almost nothing to do with the story, but scholars believe it had a great influence.
  • Arthur Waley gave the name "Monkey" to his version of the novel after a disciple of Hsuang named, Sun Wu-K'ung or, Monkey Aware-of-Vacuity (Waley 40).
  • 3 main characters: Hsuan, Monkey, and Sandy (dragon)
  • Tested by: earthly monsters, demons, and outcasts from heaven
  • Tripitaka (Hsuan) is human and is flawed, frightened, "too human."
  • The lesson of this novel is why such an ordinary, imperfect man can be the true hero.
  • He is kept alive by his more powerful disciples.
  • Monkey is really the driving force of the journey, never giving up.

Confucius

Wu Cheng-En

Ch’eng-En, Wu. Trans. Arthur Waley. "Monkey." The Norton Anthology World Literature. Shorter Second Ed. Peter Simon. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2009. 41-47. Print.

Owen, Stephen. "Vernacular Literature in China." The Norton Anthology World Literature. Shorter Second Ed. Peter Simon. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2009. 35-39. Print.

Riegel, Jeffrey. "Confucius." Stanford University. Stanford University, 03 July 2002. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/>.

Waley, Arthur. "Wu Ch'eng-En." The Norton Anthology World Literature. Shorter Second Ed. Peter Simon. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2009. 40-41. Print.

  • Why “Monkey” was written can be interpreted differently based on the mindset of how it is read.
  • “It has long been debated whether “Monkey” is a work of exuberant play, celebrating Monkey’s free spirit and turbulent ingenuity, or a serious allegory of Monkey and Tripitaka’s journey toward Buddhist enlightenment.” (Waley 40).
  • The character Monkey serves as both a source of wisdom and comedy.
  • “Monkey understands the world with a comic detachment, and this detachment makes him always more resourceful and often wise than Tripitaka.” (Waley 41).

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