A textual research of the writing of miscellaneous notes in Wanli reign of Ming dynasty = 明萬曆筆記成書考論

Abstract

Up till now, the study of miscellaneous notes has largely focused on the content of the texts. Nonetheless the research on their sources, writing modes, and the note-recording process is quite inadequate. This thesis applies research methods in communication studies and stylistics to the study of miscellaneous notes in Wanli reign of Ming Dynasty, attempting an ontological research on the information collection and writing process of miscellaneous notes. The first part of the thesis explores the information sources of miscellaneous notes, using miscellaneous notes of recorded conversation as an example. On the basis of a solid survey of the conversationalists in the miscellaneous notes of this period, this thesis carried out a meticulous investigation into the lives of the key conversationalists. This part of my study reveals that the conversationalists mainly consist of scholars, officials and common literati. The conversationalists collected their sources from their official experiences as well as local or family legends, and endowed their stories with strong local characteristics. Recorded conversations include private talks within family, conversations between hosts and guests and talks in literary circles. The diverse backgrounds of conversationalists and the different occasions where the talks took place impact significantly on the contents, the formats and the styles of miscellaneous notes. The second part discusses several important issues in note-recording by analogy and induction. The first topic concerns the motives of note-recording. The discourse context of Wanli reign induces three major motives. The first one, taking Confucian ideals as its lead, aspires to improve human society through passing on wise words and noble deeds.The second one uses miscellaneous notes instrumentally for collecting and compiling knowledge, usually in the form of scattered and unordered items. The last one, influenced by the literati trend of displaying distinguished talent and superior taste in the late Ming, records proverbs and anecdotes in pursuit of a refined literary pleasure, Moreover, the author selects the materials by evaluating their authenticity, rarity, and relevance to the authorial concerns. Their most striking features, as being unarranged and in disorder, are determined by such factors as the authors’ different age levels, as well as the various materials with which they wrote and preserved their works. The third part delineates the process of revision and polish of miscellaneous notes by conducting a case study on Er tan, a work widely circulated during Wanli reign. This part carefully examines the life of the author Wang Tonggui and goes on to explore the writing and editing process of this work. A thorough comparison of the texts of different versions discloses many modifications by the author as the work expanded from fifteen volumes to fifty-four volumes. The changes include the increasing of the numbers of tales and anecdotes under certain themes, the amplification or modification of the original comments, as well as a re-categorization of items. All these changes have facilitated Er Tan to develop from a work resembling oral literature into a book with written texts expected to be read.