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About the Relationship between the Authors and the Implied Readers of Imaginary Journeys in Chu Ci and Han Fu

  • JOURNAL OF CHINESE STUDIES
  • 2019, (66), pp.49-78
  • DOI : 10.26585/chlab.2019..66.003
  • Publisher : CHINESE STUDIES INSTITUTE
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : October 31, 2019
  • Accepted : November 26, 2019
  • Published : December 31, 2019

Wook-Jin Jeong 1

1University of Washington

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper compares imaginary journeys of one Chu ci and two Han fu works: Qu Yuan’s “Yuanyou,” Sima Xiangru’s “Daren fu,” and Zhang Heng’s “Sixuan fu.” This paper purports to analyze how the author maintains the relationship between the assumed reader and the protagonist. In order to do that, the paper first examines things such as authors’ status and the relationship between authors and the assumed readers. Nextly the paper delves into reasons that made protagonists leave their homes, that is, explores what caused protagonists’ inner conflicts. After that, the paper investigates directions of imaginary journeys. Because authors follow directions suggested in traditional Chinese rites, each imaginary journey takes the same direction. What should be noted is protagonists’ historical consciousness that reflect their self-enlightenments. During the process of an imaginary journey, one protagonist realizes that the direction that he is taking is related to the “rise and decline” of Chinese dynasties. In the end, the protagonists of the “Yuan you” and the “Sixuan fu” return homes, while the protagonist of the “Daren fu” stays in Heaven. This is because the protagonist of the “Daren fu” is the emperor himself and the author wrote this fu work to present to the emperor for his entertainment.

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