Feng Menglong
Money and the commodification of Human Relations in Feng Menglong's stories
Much of Chinese literature, as we know it today, is derived from the prolific storytelling period of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Furthermore, during this period, the vernacular story was particularly popular. As opposed to the more abstruse and formal classical fiction, vernacular tales were fashioned with less rigidity and thus were often better able to capture the more colorful and sometimes sordid details of the Chinese life and culture of the times, such as the commoditization of human relationships that arose with the Ming dynasty's incomparable prosperity. Feng Meng-long's works "Du Tenth
Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger," and "The Canary Murders," two stories representative of the period, are prime examples of the way how in many instances, life became reduced to a series of monetary transactions. Reflective of the money-centric mentality of the time, relationships smacked of financial arrangements, and the ultimate fortunes of individual characters were determined by their greed or, in a few noble cases, lack thereof.
Unlike in the past where, under the classical treatment, details related to money and other distinctly non-philosophical items were glossed over or left out entirely, Feng
Meng-long and his contemporaries actively included such tidbits of information in their writings (Stephen Owen, Anthology, 834). The story of "Du Tenth" is particularly focused on a series of business dealings that are central to the plot development. A highly sought-after prostitute, Du Tenth falls in love with Li Jia, a tender but timid youth, and cunningly negotiates with her madam the price of redeeming her freedom. This exchange begins with the madam conniving to rid Du's chambers of the now poverty-stricken Li
Jia. The madam has shed all her former good manners when she sees that Li Jia has run out of funds to lavish upon her house. Her actions are expected from a woman used to dealing in flesh,
Much of Chinese literature, as we know it today, is derived from the prolific storytelling period of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Furthermore, during this period, the vernacular story was particularly popular. As opposed to the more abstruse and formal classical fiction, vernacular tales were fashioned with less rigidity and thus were often better able to capture the more colorful and sometimes sordid details of the Chinese life and culture of the times, such as the commoditization of human relationships that arose with the Ming dynasty's incomparable prosperity. Feng Meng-long's works "Du Tenth
Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger," and "The Canary Murders," two stories representative of the period, are prime examples of the way how in many instances, life became reduced to a series of monetary transactions. Reflective of the money-centric mentality of the time, relationships smacked of financial arrangements, and the ultimate fortunes of individual characters were determined by their greed or, in a few noble cases, lack thereof.
Unlike in the past where, under the classical treatment, details related to money and other distinctly non-philosophical items were glossed over or left out entirely, Feng
Meng-long and his contemporaries actively included such tidbits of information in their writings (Stephen Owen, Anthology, 834). The story of "Du Tenth" is particularly focused on a series of business dealings that are central to the plot development. A highly sought-after prostitute, Du Tenth falls in love with Li Jia, a tender but timid youth, and cunningly negotiates with her madam the price of redeeming her freedom. This exchange begins with the madam conniving to rid Du's chambers of the now poverty-stricken Li
Jia. The madam has shed all her former good manners when she sees that Li Jia has run out of funds to lavish upon her house. Her actions are expected from a woman used to dealing in flesh,