On Patterns of Social Interaction and Knowledge Exploration of Scholar-Officials through the Lens of Netherworld Stories: Based on the Two Collections of Tales of the Strange in the Qianlong-Jiaqing Period

Abstract

Ji Yun’s Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations 阅微草堂笔记 and Yuan Mei’s What the Master Would not Discuss 子不语 are two highly influential works of tales of the strange from the Qianlong-Jiaqing period, most of whose stories originated from scholar-officials’ casual talks. By situating these works within a cross-class social network and reproducing the contexts and pathways through which such narratives were transmitted, this paper demonstrates how distinct modes of communication shaped judgments about the content of the stories. Furthermore, the act of storytelling itself serves as a process of knowledge exploration.

Keywords

Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations / What the Master Would not Discuss / patterns of social interaction / history of knowledge

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Higher Education Press