The Aesthetic Orientation of Du Jun's Comments on Li Yu's Novels and Operas
Comment is one of the main ways of criticism in ancient Chinese novels and operas.During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties,literary comment flourished in the field of popular literature,and critics left a vast amount of critical texts and ideas for ancient Chinese novels and operas.Du Jun was the most important critic of Li Yu's no-vels and operas.His comment closely adhered to the content of Li Yu's novels and operas,revealing both Li Yu's creative ideas and techniques,as well as his own aesthetic preferences for these two literary genres:pursuing a blend of elegance and popularity in language,seeking a combination of novelty and interest in plot content,and pursuing true feelings and nature in ideological core.At the same time,Du Jun's aesthetic preferences in his comment of no-vels and operas also showed subtle differences between these two genres.