Abstract
During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, literati-oriented popular novels, such as The Water Margin, appealed to talented readers represented by Jin Shengtan. To address the generally low literary level of readers, these scholarly readers attempted to align the works with a potential readership of “talents” and guide them through authoritative yet accessible interpretations infused with literati ideas. By doing so, the scholarly readers engaged themselves in the commercialized dissemination of popular novels. This marked the “Jin Shengtan Era” in the history of novel dissemination. The refined literary quality of The Scholars drew scholar-type readers such as Zhang Wenhu. Based on a strong identification with the work and the reading circles to which he belonged, Zhang developed a “middle-level” reader awareness. In the modern commercialized dissemination context, which expanded readership boundaries, this awareness drove Zhang to further refine and elevate his commentary, actively seeking ideal readers for The Scholars. This approach created an experience of shared appreciation among like-minded individuals, illustrating a distinctive aspect of popular novel dissemination in the post-Jin Shengtan era.
Keywords
The Scholars, comments by Tianmu Mountain Woodcutter, evolution, reader awareness, the post-Jin Shengtan era
First Page
83
Last Page
94
Recommended Citation
Shi, Lujie. 2025. "The Evolution of Tianmu Mountain Woodcutter's Comments on The Scholars: A Form of Reader Awareness and Dissemination of Commentary in the Post-Jin Shengtan Era." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (1): pp.83-94. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss1/8
