困境與精進——明清閱讀史中的朱子「淫詩」說

Due to the identification of more than twenty “poems of elopement” in Shijing 詩經, Zhu Xi’s (1130-1200) theory of “licentious poetry” 淫詩 has been fervently debated for quite some time. However, most research has been confined to theoretical approaches within the fields of literature or classical studies 經學. In fact, Zhu’s theory of “licentious poetry” proposes an ideal reader, one which is demanded to possess the moral capability to resist the temptations of human desire, and finally, must be applied to the reading practices of the actual reader. Most scholars have ignored a salient issue: How can the ordinary reader, rather than its sophisticated counterpart, realize this ideal goal? To investigate this matter, the present paper turns our attention away from the traditionally theoretical dimension to a practical one. At first, it delineates Zhu Xi’s expectations of the ideal reader, and then, considering both positive and negative reception from later generations, rethinks the following points: the concerns of Ming and Qing scholars regarding the actual reader’s competence to confront “licentious poetry” and corresponding solutions, the ordinary reader’s response to “licentious poetry” within the practices of reading Shijing, and the appropriation and transformation of the theory of “licentious poetry” in the defense of erotic novels and dramas during the Ming-Qing period. In this way, this paper hopes to provide a case study of how to re-examine approaches adopted by classical studies when investigating the history of reading.