Abstract:

 Mao Qiling’s academic commentaries on Romance of West Chamber have been deemed among the best since Wang Jide’s and Ling Mengchu’s commentaries. His narrative theory juxtaposed with Jin Shengtan’s as the best two in the history of drama commentary in Qing Dynasty. Mao’s commentaries are spontaneous and candid on the spur of moment, yet systematic and theoretical if read holistically. For instances, the narrative perspective as “an onlooker” in term of narrative perspective, “twists and turns” in terms of narrative contents, “exquisite foreshadowing” in terms of narrative correlation and “rising and falling tones” in terms of narrative rhythm, all have shown Mao’s distinctive opinions. Mao’s narrative theory is in agreement with western modern narratology in that Mao’s narrative layers, perspectives, correlations and methods generally include such categories as narrators, narrative time, narrative methods in modern narratology. The study of Mao’s narrative theory in the perspective of his commentaries on Romance of West Chamber can help construct the internal correlation between ancient and modern narratology, enhancing the foundation of China’s narratology.

Key words:  Romance of West Chamber, narrative theory, Mao Qiling’s commentaries