A study of the image of Taoist masters in romance of the Three kingdoms : a case study of Yu Ji = 《三國演義》的道士形象研究 : 以于吉為考察對象

Abstract

 The emergence of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” is one of the apogees in the Chinese classic novel history. The image of different characters has significant influences on future generations. However, the existing study on the image of Taoist masters is not comprehensive enough, very little has been done on the reasons and values of the appearance of the Taoist masters. As a result, this thesis attempts to take Yu Ji as an entry point and reveal the importance of the image of Taoist masters. The thesis contains six chapters. Chapter One and Chapter Six are the introduction and conclusion respectively. In between, Chapter Two summarizes the historical image of Yu Ji from different types of literature. Chapter Three analyzes the artistic image of Yu Ji in “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. Chapter Four studies the spreads of Taoism in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, and also the characteristics of historical fictional novels, in order to find out the reasons of adding Taoist masters descriptions into the novel. Chapter Five focuses on the functions and values of the Taoist masters descriptions in the novel. The description of Taoist masters plays a crucial role in promoting the development of the plot, shaping the image of the main characters, and showing the political ideal.