Image and Text Relations in a Late Ming Collection of Short Vernacular Fiction

• In Event: Erotic Immortals, Ambiguous Figures, and Social Relationships: Reading the Illustrated Literature of Late Imperial China

Abstract

The late Ming collection of huaben xiaoshuo (short vernacular fiction) first published as Gujin xiaoshuo (Stories Old and New), later retitled Yushi Mingyan (Illustrious Words to Enlighten the World; edited and compiled by Feng Menglong, illustrated by Liu Suming) brings together forty short story entries, each of which is accompanied by two full-page illustrations. The two illustrations for each entry typically conform to the “minimal complete plot” that Tzvetan Todorov identifies in his close readings of the Decameron, which he defines as a shift between social equilibria. In the case of Gujin xiaoshuo, Todorov’s social equilibria are generally characterized by the traditional Confucian relationships: husband and wife, older and younger sibling, parent and child, lord and underling, or friend and friend. The recto illustrations typically depict scenes in which an action (often a “point of no return” or threshold-crossing incident) disrupts the established status quo or social order, in this way initiating the story to come. This can take many forms, but among the most common are the “first glimpse” exchanged between future lovers and death or violence. By contrast, the verso illustrations often depict the establishment of a new equilibrium (either a restoration of or replacement for the one previously disrupted). This frequently takes the form of judicial intervention, happy reunion, or violent revenge. This framework enables a clearer understanding of how and why Liu Suming chose the scenes he did for illustration. Similarly, it clarifies the story logic underpinning these intriguing narratives.

Author

• Alexander C. Wille, University of Colorado Boulder