文人话本的衰微过程与原因

文人话本在明代天启、崇祯和清代顺治大约四十年间出现繁荣局面,到清代康熙年间已经衰微。其主要原因是清朝康熙、雍正、乾隆三朝严厉禁毁“小说淫词”,对话本创作以致命打击。清中叶以后的话本作家,热衷于宣传封建礼教,其作品为读者所唾弃。作家缺乏创新精神与才能,一味地“效颦剽窃”,使话本失去了独创性与生命力。清代中叶以后的话本,只在文人生活圈子里打转转,对市民读者缺乏吸引力。

The decline of huaben stories and its cause

Huaben stories prospered in the late Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty but declined afterwards. The main cause is the emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong launched serious attacks on these books in the name of prohibiting pornography. The story writers in the late Qing Dynasty were devoted to preaching feudal rites and piecing stories. The result is that their works were poor in originality and consequently failed to attract readers.