Discussion on the Narrative Art of Rural Image in the Novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties

The countryside in the novels of Ming and Qing dynasties was not incorporated into the literary ecology, and it usually existed as an isolated and self-contained part in the text, which enabled the novels to maintain their pure connotation. The rural image has relatively rich and focused connotation which plays an active part in the meaning generation, aesthetic expression and narrative construction. The rural image has narrative values for its different but appropriate rhythm, its absence power, its strangeness which brings a sense of reality, and its narrative styles of qi(strangeness), xian(risk), qu and wei(fun). The value of rural description in novels of Ming and Qing dynasties should be re-assessed so as to remove the long-term bias against it in related research.