The classic The Journey to the West Journey to the West is one of the four classical novels in China. It is an excellent ghost novel, a combination of mass creation and literati creation. The novel begins with seven stories about "making havoc in Heaven", and puts the image of the Monkey King at the top of the book. From the eighth to the twelfth, I wrote the stories of Tathagata, Guanyin becoming a monk, Kevin·Z descending dragons and the birth of Tang Priest, explaining the origin of the scriptures. From 13th to the end of this book, it tells the story that the monkey born of the immortal stone fell at Bodhi Gate and was named the Monkey King. He practiced hard to become a curse, but he was crushed under the Five Elements Mountain because of drunkenness. Five hundred years later, Guanyin told the Monkey King the way to save himself: He would follow Tang Sanzang's Buddhist scriptures and become his apprentice, and he would be saved when he achieved the right result. The Monkey King followed Tang Sanzang on the road and met a monster on the way. Together with Bajie and Friar Sand, they embarked on a arduous journey to learn from western classics.

His works were written in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when the social economy was prosperous, but the politics was deteriorating and people's lives were difficult. The author criticizes this unreasonable phenomenon through stories. This work * * * one hundred times, more than six hundred thousand words. Divided into titles, each title is presented in a neat double way. The story tells the story of Tang Sanzang and his disciples the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, Friar Sand and Bai who went to the Western Heaven to learn Buddhist scriptures through eighty-one difficult.

The mystery of the author

This is a historical unsolved case for hundreds of years. In the 1920s, Hu Shi and Lu Xun demonstrated from the scholars of Qing Dynasty that The Journey to the West was written by Wu Cheng'en, a middle-aged tribute student of Jiajing in Huai 'an. But judging from the various versions of Journey to the West that can be seen at present, none of them was written by Wu Cheng'en. Beijing Library Publishing House published a book "Talking about Wu Cheng'en —— Revealing the Author Problem of The Journey to the West" (by Shen Chengqing), suggesting that The Journey to the West's author was not Wu Cheng'en, but Li Chunfang, the "Prime Minister of Qing Dynasty" during the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. The idea of textual research is to start with the word "Jiao" in Huayang Teachers College at the beginning of A Journey to the West in Shidetang, compare the changes and development of the stories of adding, deleting and modifying the Biography of Explaining Hubei by Yang Zhi, The Journey to the West and Zhu, demonstrate the writing process of the novel, straighten out the publishing order of these three versions, and combine the thoughts of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism embodied in them.

Wu Cheng'en wrote a poem "To the Foothills of Sok Li", and the stone in the foothills is Li Chunfang's name. Li, a native of Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, was the number one scholar in Jiajing period. He was promoted to Zaifu because of his excellent writing of Qing Ci. When I was a child, I studied in Huayang Cave, Jiangsu, so I was nicknamed "Master Huayang Cave". He was appointed as the Yongle ceremony of the general school. There is a poem by The Journey to the West in the ninety-fifth chapter: "Colorful fragrance, a barren mountain suddenly smells fragrant;" The rainbow flows through the Qinghai River and the Sea for thousands of years, and electricity travels around Changchun and the Tang Dynasty. Flowers and trees are elegant, and wild flowers are moist and fragrant. The ancient elders left relics, and now I am happy that Mingjun lost the Jubao Hall. " Shen Chengqing found that the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh sentences of this poem implied "Li Chunfang's old friend stayed behind", and the frontispiece "Huayang Dong Tian Teachers College" meant "compiling Journey to the West".

There is a folk legend that Su Xun, one of the eight masters in Tang and Song Dynasties, was lonely in his later years, and his son Su Shi wrote some wonderful books to relieve boredom. He wrote some story fragments and the origin of the characters in The Journey to the West, but after all, it was for entertainment. His book was not completely written, and it was later circulated and supplemented by Wu Cheng'en. It can be said that there is a great deal of religious knowledge in The Journey to the West. Su Shi is a Buddhist, and he also has his friend, monk Fo Yin. In addition, Su Shi is a literary genius with rich cultural accomplishment, so it is not surprising that this book was written by this writer.

Hu Shi and Lu Xun claimed that Wu Cheng'en was the author of The Journey to the West on the basis of The Records of Huai 'an Prefecture, which will be published tomorrow. The record records that Wu Cheng'en is The Journey to the West, but it doesn't explain why such a book was published. Xianfeng reprinted Huai 'an County Records in Qing Dynasty, and deleted this article.

At the end of 1983, Mr. Zhang pointed out in the article "Is Journey to the West Written by Wu Cheng'en" that during the more than 300 years from the advent of The Journey to the West to the 1920s, all kinds of publications were either edited by Zhu, or only edited by Huayang without the author's name, or written by Qiu Chuji, and none of them recognized Wu Cheng'en's copyright. Hu Shi also said in the preface of The Journey to the West in 192 1 that this work was "written by an unknown novelist after the middle of Ming Dynasty". Later, Mr. Lu Xun argued that Wu Cheng'en said that Hu Shi got the materials copied by Lu Xun, and Textual Research on Journey to the West also held this opinion. But a closer look at their textual research is based on two indirect materials and only one direct material.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms Luo Guanzhong

Luo Guanzhong (about 1330—— about 1400) is from Taiyuan, Shanxi, and Qixian, Shanxi. One is Qingxu County, Shanxi Province; One said Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) or Luling (now Ji 'an, Jiangxi) people. A famous novelist and dramatist at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, China was the originator of Zhang Hui's novels.

Luo Guanzhong's life is rich in works, the main works are: the script Zhao Taizu's Dragon and Tiger Club, the serial admonition of loyalty and filial piety, and the cry of Zhang Sanping; Novels such as The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties, The Romance of Tang and Five Dynasties, The Legend of Three Sui Demons, The House of Powder Makeup, it is said that Shi Naian co-authored The Water Margin and his masterpiece The Romance of Three Kingdoms.

Luo Guanzhong was born in the feudal dynasty in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. As a drama critic associated with "advocating Excellence" and "prostitute art", he was regarded as an inferior person in Goulan Washe at that time, and it was impossible for the official history to write classics for him. The only thing I can see is a pamphlet "The Sequel to Ghost Records" compiled by Chao Jia, which reads: "Luo Guanzhong, a native of Taiyuan, is scattered in the lake and sea. Loneliness with others, Yuefu argot, extremely fresh. I forgot to be friends with Yu, and I suffered many losses, and I lived far apart. This is just the beginning of the resumed meeting. I haven't come for more than 60 years, but I don't know where it will end. "

However, from Luo Guanzhong's masterpiece Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong's profound talent has been reflected. He is proficient in military science, psychology, resourcefulness, public relations and talents ... Without superhuman wisdom, rich practice and persistent pursuit, how could he become such a generalist? He advocates national unity, loves the Chinese nation, carries forward the traditional virtues of the nation, and hates treachery and evil. In the historical romance of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, we can see Luo Guanzhong's noble sentiments of attachment to his homeland, memory of heroes and concern for his country and people. He wrote emotionally: poplars rise from the west wind on both sides of the strait, and Qinzhou filial piety really hurts the body. Flowers and plants in Jinzhong bury the secluded path, and Tangguoshan River surrounds the sunset. The crow valley destroys its nest, and the dusty road in Bingzhou is always desolate. Poetry has become an endless wound and has been heartbroken.

Dream of Red Mansions Cao Xueqin

At the beginning of the 20th century, the question of "Who is the original author of A Dream of Red Mansions" once caused a debate in China academic circles, and this debate continues to this day. But most scholars know that A Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin.

Cao Xueqin, a great litterateur in China in Qing Dynasty, was named Zhan (with the same pronunciation as Zhan), whose Chinese name was Xue Qin, and his ancestral home was in Hebei (Tieling, Liaoning, Liaoyang, Liaoning). He was born around 17 1763. Cao Xueqin grew up in splendor. Its predecessor was the Han nationality, and later it was the Manchu Zhengbaiqi (domestic slave). Cao Xueqin's great-grandfather won an official position because of his meritorious service in entering the customs with the Qing army. Cao Xueqin's great-grandfather Cao Xi, his grandfather Cao Yin, and his parents Cao Qing and Cao Fu worked as Jiangning weavers for more than 60 years, which was highly prized by Emperor Kangxi. So the Cao family became a "century-old family" at that time. Kangxi made six expeditions to the south, four of which were led by Cao Yin, and Vega was his palace. The Zhen Shi family in the south of the Yangtze River mentioned in A Dream of Red Mansions "riding alone for four times" is this favor. In the early years of Yongzheng, due to the internal struggle of the feudal ruling class, the Cao family suffered many blows, was dismissed from office and imprisoned, and their family property was confiscated and returned to Beijing. Since then, his family has been going downhill. This turning point made Cao Xueqin deeply feel the coldness of the world and more clearly understand the essence of the feudal social system. From then on, he lived in poverty, but he was good at writing and devoted himself to the writing and revision of the novel A Dream of Red Mansions. He read it for ten years, added and deleted it five times, and wrote this literary masterpiece that pushed China's classical novel creation to the peak. A Dream of Red Mansions, with its rich content, tortuous plot, profound ideological understanding and exquisite artistic techniques, has become a great realistic work in China's classical novels. In the twenty-seventh year of Qianlong (1762), his youngest son died prematurely, and Cao Xueqin fell into excessive grief. On New Year's Eve of this year (1764 February 1), he died of poverty (about the year of Cao Xueqin's death, there were twenty-eight years of Qianlong (1763). On New Year's Eve, before the book was finished, Qin died in tears. I cried tears, and the funeral expenses were funded by my friends. Because it is still unclear, Cao Xueqin's Dream of Red Mansions only stays for the first eighty times. Some people say that Cao Xueqin also wrote the last twenty-eight, and the high temple (Qianlong) refused to give birth, so he ruined the last twenty-eight written by Cao Xueqin and asked Gao E to write it, locating the whole book one hundred and twenty times. The earliest extant manuscript is the reign of Qianlong Xu Jia (1754), but there are only 16 discontinuous manuscripts. Later, a number of manuscripts were discovered, the most important of which was the manuscript of Gan Long Chen Geng Year (1760), which is now 78 times. These manuscripts are all titled "The Story of the Stone", and there are many comments signed by people such as "Zhi Yanzhai", so they are also called "Zhi Pi Shu". Why fat books appear and spread is still controversial.

Water Margin Shi Naian

Author's brief introduction (1), Shi Naian, a novelist in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, was born and died in an unknown year (1296 ~137/year, whose real name was Yan Duan, Zi 'an andNo. Naian), and his native place was Baijuchang, Xinghua (now Jiangsu). Originally from Hailing County, Taizhou, he lived in Shijia Lane outside Nagato, Suzhou, and then moved to Baijuchang, Xinghua County (now Baiju Town, Dafeng City, Jiangsu Province). According to the popular story of Sung River Uprising, he wrote the long classical novel Water Margin and the foreign versions of 105 Tales of Men and Three Women and Stories Happening by the River.

The author's life

There are few materials about Shi Naian's life story, and some records collected are quite contradictory. Since the 1920s, some related materials have been found in Xinghua, Dafeng and other places in Jiangsu Province, such as Shi's genealogy and Shi's genealogy. In addition, supplement 13 of Xinghua County Records contains 65,438+0 biographies of Shi Naian, and supplement 14 contains 65,440 epitaphs of Shi Naian written by Wang Daosheng in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the analysis of these materials, Shi Naian is the descendant of Shi Zhi, one of the seventy-two sons of Confucius, who made Suzhou his home in the late Tang Dynasty. His father's name is Yuan De and his mother is Bian Shi (Bian Shi's descendants also moved to Dafeng City, Jiangsu Province). Shi Naian is smart, studious, talented, filial and brave. 19 years old is a scholar, 28 years old is a juren, and 36 years old is a scholar with Liu Bowen. He served as an official in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) for three years. Because he was dissatisfied with the darkness of officialdom, he didn't want to meet dignitaries, gave up his official position and returned to his hometown. Shi took part in Zhang Shicheng's military activities when he rose up against Yuan Dynasty. After Zhang occupied the Soviet Union, Shi participated in the planning under his protection and had a close relationship with his Ministry Bian. Later, because Zhang was greedy for pleasure and didn't listen to advice, Shi was disappointed with Lu Yuan, Liu Liang and Chen Ji, and left one after another. When seeing Lu and Liu Xiang off, he composed a divertimento "New Water Makes Qiu Jiang Farewell" to express his generous grief. Soon, Zhang Shicheng died and the country was ruined. Stone travels all over the world, roaming in Shandong and Henan. He befriended her, was taught by Yuncheng County, and then lived with her teacher in the early days of the Xu family in Jiangyin. Later, he returned to his old white pony, unable to live in seclusion, and felt that the situation was going downhill. He wrote The Water Margin as his sustenance, and together with his disciple Luo Guanzhong, he wrote The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Biography of Sansui Pingyao. He is also good at poetry, but it is rarely circulated. Besides the divertimento Qiu Jiang Farewell, there are other poems handed down, such as Gu Ti's poems and Liu Liang's poems. Shi Naian hid in Huai 'an to avoid the Ming Dynasty conscription, died of illness and was buried on the spot at the age of 75. Decades after Nai 'an's death, Sun Wenyu's family business flourished, and his ancestor Nai 'an's remains were buried in Xiluo Lake (now Shijiaqiao Village, Xinduo Town, Xinghua City, Jiangsu Province), and Wang Daosheng was asked to write "Shi Naian's Epitaph". In the 19th year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (1540), Gao Ru's "Hundred Rivers Record" contained: "Loyalty and Righteousness Water Margin 100 Volume. Qiantangben Edited by Luo Guanzhong. " In the forty-five years of Jiajing, Lang Ying said in the Seven Drafts: "This book is Shi Naian Qiantang Book. During the Wanli period, Hu Yinglin pointed out in "Shao's Mountain House Pen Collection": "The Water Margin compiled by Zhongshi in Wulin is particularly popular. "Today, people agree that Shi Naian is the author of Water Margin. However, some place names are inconsistent with the date of birth and death of Shi Naian. Some people think that it was co-authored by disciple Luo Guanzhong or continued by Luo Guanzhong.

It should be noted that Shi Naian was a native of the late Yuan Dynasty, but some place names in the Water Margin he wrote were established in the Ming Dynasty. Deep-water bomb Suochao-Liu Hailong

(2), Luo Guanzhong (about1330-about 1400), Han nationality, whose real name is Ben, is from Qixian County, Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province; One said Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) or Luling (now Ji 'an, Jiangxi) people. A famous novelist and dramatist at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, China was the originator of Zhang Hui's novels.

all one's life

Luo Guanzhong's life is rich in works, the main works are: the script Zhao Taizu's Dragon and Tiger Club, the serial admonition of loyalty and filial piety, and the cry of Zhang Sanping; Novels such as Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties, Romance of the Five Dynasties of Tang Dynasty, Biography of Three Demons of Sui Dynasty, Fenfang, The Water Margin (allegedly co-written with Shi Naian) and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, etc.