What were the changes in the literary status of merchants and scholars in the Ming Dynasty's vernacular novels?
In the Ming Dynasty's vernacular novels, there were various changes in the literary status of merchants and scholars. The following are some of the main changes: 1. The status of merchants in literature has been improved: In the Ming Dynasty, many characters of merchants have been valued and portrayed. They were no longer people of low social status, but people with thoughts, culture, and stories. For example, the characters of merchants that often appeared in novels of the Ming Dynasty included Jia Baoyu in Dream of the Red Chamber and Lin Chong in Water Margins. 2. The literary status of scholars was relatively low: Compared with merchants, scholars had a relatively lower literary status in the vernacular novels of the Ming Dynasty. They were often seen as lofty figures who lacked practical ability and only knew how to read. In novels, their images were usually relatively simple and flat, such as Lu Junyi in Water Margins and Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. 3. The image of the merchant is more plump: In the Ming Dynasty, the image of the merchant in the vernacular novels gradually became plump and three-dimensional. They were no longer simple money-making machines, but characters with thoughts, emotions, and stories. For example, the characters of merchants that often appeared in novels of the Ming Dynasty included Wu Yong in Water Margins and Jia Zheng in Dream of the Red Chamber. The image of the scholar gradually lost its luster: The image of the scholar in the vernacular novels of the Ming Dynasty gradually became dull. They were often seen as lofty figures who only knew how to read, lacked practice, and only knew how to recite poems. In novels, their images were usually relatively simple and flat, such as Lu Zhishen in Water Margins, Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, etc. Generally speaking, the literary status of merchants and scholars in the Ming Dynasty's vernacular novels changed in various ways. The literary status of merchants had improved, and the literary status of scholars was relatively lower. The image of merchants was more plump, and the image of scholars gradually lost its luster.