On the Value Orientation of the Novels of the Intellegent and the Beauty in Ming and Qing Dynasties

The novels mentioned above stand for the freedom of young men and women to make decisions on their own in regard to their love and marriage, which displays an extrem for man's self. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties when ethics and morals were developed to the extremes of repressing human nature and normal human dexsiones. What suffered most from the loss of freedom was love and marriage. Conscequently, the romance described in the novels during this period had as its uttermost purpose the expression of man's longings, particularly in his self- realization. These novels Closely associate human values with the natural aspects of humanity such as looks, intellence as well as feelings later than bith, wealth, position and so on. Meanwhile, it shows their advanced views on women's role that are basically democratic. Further, due to the overwhelming force of the conventional ethics and morals that suffocated love and marriage at its most and also due to its huge inertia that prevented new thoughts and ideas from being practised, the Qing and Ming love stories tended to take on an idealistic color as far as their aesthetic values are concerned.