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The appearance and its meaning of revision of novel in classical Chinese Xixiangji-yanyi(西廂記演義) during the era of Republic of China

KIM HYO-MIN 1

1고려대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

<Xixiangji-yanyi> is a full-length novel in classical Chinese, which is remake of play <Xixiangji> by Xu-Xuelun who was a writer of Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies, and first edition was published by World Book Publishing co. Shanghi at 1918. This is the novel which attracted good popularity by high readability even though it is classical Chinese novel written mainly with parallel prose. <Xixiangji-yanyi> is particular and meaningful text in the history of <Xixiangji-yanyi> translation in the view point that the first revised version of narrative style <Xixiangji-yanyi> in China, and this book has special relationship with us because it was published in the title of <Yeonyeok-Seosanggi> at 1925 in Korea. The aspects which show character and characteristic of <Xixiangji-yanyi> most were detected and its revision appearance was examined in this study. Particularly the study was focused on so called stratum of narrative discussion that how the mediation of narration(narrator) was used strategically, which could be no other way but accompanied during the modification process of revision to narrative style. This study shows that ‘fine and sensual description’, ‘focalization and visualization’, ‘reinterpretation and intervene of narrator’ were clearly discriminated through this. And because of the revision like this, it seemed like the storytelling and readability were raised greatly compared to the original play, and at same time the contextual understanding of readers on story was increased also. <Xixiangji-yanyi> could be said it decorated an interesting page of <Xixiangj i> accepting history in the point that it newly succeeded reading fever of <Xixiangji> of modern printing time by somewhat successful novelization of Jin-Sengtan’s criticism version which ruled reading market of <Xixiangji> through out the Qing dynasty. Meanwhile, <Xixiangji-yanyi> also shows the character as hybrid text in which various aspects were rooted, because it is the classical revision born in the context of time complicatedly mixed of tradition and modern. Even though it couldn’t get off falling behind ideologically, on the other hand, it was born and possessed as ‘new’ and readable book which could be enjoyed comfortably and elegantly by stimulating traditional readers’ nostalgia on the contrary in times of fast changing disorder. In this point, <Xixiangji-yanyi> is a work which represents the complexity of the history of literature development and an aspect of reading market of the time very well.

Citation status

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