청대 《홍루몽》 속서의 주변인물 서사 연구— 묘옥 서사를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper study and categorize the narrative of MiaoYu, which is a minor character in the sequels of The Dream of the Red Chamber(HongLouMeng). Traditionally, the sequels were supposed to continue the story of the previous masterpiece, so they were often categorized according to the main characters of The Dream of the Red Chamber, such as LinDaiyu or JiaBaoyu, and their plotline. However, this classification was not effective to show the patterns of the sequels’ own development. By analyzing a minor character called MiaoYu(妙玉) in different narratives of the sequels , this paper aimed to rethink and re-classify the types of The Dream of the Red Chamber’s sequels in Qing Dynasty. Taking 11 The Dream of the Red Chamber sequels published in the Qing dynasty as examples, this paper categorized the narrative of MiaoYu as three types. Type A, which contains four sequels, MiaoYu was almost absent or only mentioned by other characters insignificantly; Type B, MiaoYu became a female celestial in nearly all the four sequels; Type C, which contains three sequels, authors tried to rewrite and reverse the MiaoYu narrative by depicting her returning to secular life and marriage. The literary value and the narrative skill of the The Dream of the Red Chamber sequels had long been doubted. However, by analyzing the three types of MiaoYu’s narrative, which represented the different reactions and attitudes toward a beautiful woman captured by muggers, it is clear that these subsequent works have shown a chronologically change which may partial reflect the history of mentalities in Qing dynasty. Therefore, I argue that the classify the types of The Dream of the Red Chamber’s sequels by minor characters is a useful standard.