The main reason for the high development of classical novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the prosperity of the commodity economy?
The main reason for the high development of classical novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the prosperity of the commodity economy. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's feudal society gradually declined, but the commodity economy was increasingly prosperous. This made the novel, as a literary form that reflected social reality and people's lives, more widely spread and created. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the production of goods and the scale of trade continued to expand, and the demand for various goods also increased day by day. This led to the widening of the social divide between the rich and the poor, and the increasingly sharp social contradictions. In this case, the novel as a literary form can reflect the social reality and social contradictions by describing the social reality and characters, thus guiding the readers to think about social problems and moral values. The development of the commodity economy also provided rich materials and topics for the creation of novels. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, all kinds of literary works such as poetry, prose, opera and so on had made innovation and breakthroughs in reflecting social reality and expressing thoughts and emotions. However, as the representative of literary forms, novels were more prominent in expressing social reality and characters. The main reason for the high development of classical novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the development of commodity economy, which made novels, as a literary form, reflect social reality and express people's feelings more deeply and extensively.