Constructing Moral Space：The Spiritual World in Late Ming and Early Qing’s Prose on Literati Studio

Abstract

<p>Literati Studio is a space that literati entrust their ideals, and this physical space is often endowed with rich spiritual connotations through the writings. This type of text, Literati Studio Essays, provides us with an excellent channel to explore the spiritual world of the literati, yet it has not been given enough attention in previous studies. The late Ming and early Qing dynasties were a special period in history. In terms of ideology, the late Ming literati's indulgence in pleasure contrasted sharply with the early Qing literati's eagerness to rebuild the morality, and the choice between the pursuit of officialdom or seclusion during this period was also complicated by the context of dynastic change. In the specific space of literati studio, the literati express their different spiritual styles through the prose writing. The writing is either focus on describing the specific scene of the studio, revealing the personal spirituality, or rendering moral discourse by interpreting the name of the studio, revitalizing the ancient prose style of the Tang and Song. This paper intends to discuss and compare the literati studio prose of Gong’an School with that of the early Qing prose writers, such as Jiang Chenying(姜宸英), Wang Maolin(汪懋麟), and Wang Wan(汪琬), in order to reveal the rich and contradictory spiritual world of the literati at that time.<br></p>