『聊齋志異』의 상고소설연구― 여성상인고사를 중심으로

Abstract

In Chinese literary works before the Ming Dynasty, merchants appeared as supporting roles and did not have a large proportion, but after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when the commercial economy developed, they became an important protagonist who led the narrative. The depiction of the merchant in the works is also mostly greedy and immoral before the Ming Dynasty, and in contrast to the good protagonist, it was the subject of judgment or reprimand. On the other hand, after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were many appearances of good merchants who were sincere and possessed of Righteousness (義) and Profit (利), or Confucian Merchants (儒商) who pursued the Confucian ideology and Scholar-bureaucrat culture. This trend is also reflected in Liaozhaizhiyi (聊齋志異), which represents Classical Chinese novel in Qing Dynasty. In addition, unlike few female merchants appear in previous literary works or briefly appear as a merchant’s family and then disappear, there are many female merchants who show their abilities as much as men in Liaozhaizhiyi. Among them, works such as Xiao Er, Huang Ying, Xi Liu, and Bai Qiu Lian can be regarded as Merchant Novels (商賈小說) in which female merchants are the main characters and have many commercial descriptions, and reflect merchant values and culture. In these works, the female merchants are the undisputed protagonists of the narrative, demonstrating their ability to lead not only household chores but also commercial activities. They fulfilled the roles of women demanded by traditional society, namely, virtuous wives who help their husbands, and mothers who strictly educate their children. However, they did not stop there and moved out of the family and became a competent merchant. They also helped the poor around them, and although they were merchants, they showed the aspect of Confucian Merchants longed for scholars.