Conclusion
Over 120 family members are mentioned in the YWCT and of these, Ji Yun's father, Yao'an gong (Ji Rongshu 紀容舒, 1686–1764), has considerable significance. He is alluded to and quoted over 100 times. Among the biographical entries are also sentimental memories, like those about the early death of Ji Yun's oldest son Ji Ruji 紀汝佶 (1744–1776), or the death of his concubines. Additionally it is frequently told how Ji Yun and his relatives personally experience supernatural encounters. These intimate references distinguish the YWCT from the collections by Pu Songling and Yuan Mei. Moreover, Ji Yun included notes on his official career, for instance about his banishment to Xinjiang. Here, he shows a rather surprising pragmatic attitude concerning the adversities of his life and life in general. The impression is reinforced by the prefaces to the five books of the collection and their titles, especially when considering the biographical background of their origin. More than 600 historical officials and scholars, mainly from the 18th century, are referred to by name. About 100 of these are Ji Yun's teachers, examiners, tongnian, colleagues, and protégés. He honourably quotes them and praises their wisdom, but at the same time likes to describe their weakness of character in a humorous and sometimes ridiculing way.
By choosing the literary genre of the zhiguai, Ji Yun adopts the role of compiler and understates his own literary ability. He can thus appear as a superior critical authority in the appended commentaries, since he is not directly liable for the content of the stories, as he occasionally likes to point out. Moreover, through the preferred simplicity of the literary style, no distraction is given and the essential messages are accentuated. On the other hand, the appended commentaries are frequently contradictory to the reported, or state that a moral evaluation is not possible. Hereby, the narratives become livelier again and different views are not only allowed, but encouraged. Since clear guidelines are frequently missing, a critical understanding of the reader is supported, who has to make up his own mind.
Many of the narratives about human behaviour have a culturally pessimistic point-of-view, which in some commentaries is emphasised by Ji Yun; for example, when he indicates that society as a whole is developing for the worse and points out the natural consequences (tiandao) of humane behaviour. For the moral judgement of an individual, his private and social circumstances are considered and thus there is no absolute moral present in the collection, but it is adapted to the given situation. No matter how severe the reported transgressions, as a basic principle there is always the possibility for individual ethical growth and development given by way of rationality, understanding, and knowledge.
Even though an objective justice is present in the YWCT, in some entries it does not constitutionally prevail. Instead it is told how some protagonists, especially the ones of the upper class, do not have to atone for committing a crime against individuals of low background. In a few of these stories the self-administered justice of the victims is not only excused, but even praised.
The repeated statement that persons belonging to the elite will atone for unpunished sins in the other world, did not come true in the notes about the supernatural. The social injustices do not only persist in the netherworld, but are rather reinforced by the entries about retribution. Since the stories about heaven and the underworld in fact do not give cause to hope for a higher justice or salvation, a conflict between theory and praxis becomes apparent. As the netherworld does not dispense justice, the emphasis is shifted to the here and now again and men himself has to assume moral responsibility. Comparatively, the accounts of the extraordinary supernatural, with the exception of foxes, are noticeably less didactic. The protagonists of the upper class are seldom depicted as superior and even the biographical characters are no role models, as contrasted to their position in the previous stories. There seems to be no relevant moral intention present, but rather expressions of contemporary fears as well as an interest of individuals of the elite concerning supernatural forces that exist and act independently from humans.
Traditional ideas such as 'monster arise through humans' (yao you ren xing 妖由人興)[1] and that supernatural beings like to approach immoral individuals, are mentioned but frequently used as persiflage and cliché. Here, too, a discrepancy of what is said and the plot development can be discerned. Ji Yun and the other narrators are in accordance with Confucian tradition by giving scientific explanations about the strange[2] and at the same time break through by the stylistic device of irony and the repeated accentuation of missing scientific or moral insight in the commentaries.
Good or bad human conduct is not always supernaturally rewarded or punished and the virtuous does not always overcome evil. Moreover, by the way the supernatural is described, it does not serve as an absolute moral and didactic means. Undoubtedly, there are many accounts with an obvious didactic claim, which stand in opposition to the humorous and ironic narratives. Here, the question intensifies in how far a story with an obvious moral provided the potential of a different reading and comprehension for an educated contemporary reader.
Ji Yun compiled the collection to reflect on biographic experiences and family memories. Apparent is his interest for the supernatural as is his mentioned sociable pastime of telling and listening to this kind of narratives. Ji Yun expressed the wish to conserve and correct old and contemporary records as well as to pass on knowledge. What he wrote in the preface to his poems on Urumqi, applies equally to the YWCT, which is to inform and eliminate prejudices. This includes that there is no difference made between popular and elite belief. Moreover, Ji Yun aimed at criticising certain social evils, like the mistreatment of servants by persons of the upper class. At the same time he wanted to take a stand for moral influences, as for example to admonish individuals of the middle class and lower strata to undertake a better treatment of animals. Furthermore, many reports are told to caricature certain types of humans, especially the 'non-believing neo-Confucian pedantic scholars'. Finally, he seemed to have enjoyed making fun of some well-known historical or contemporary persons, as well as to praise others.
The YWCT promotes a traditionally founded pessimistic perspective on society, related to the self-interested bad behaviour of individuals. Here, man is not only depicted as a product of his environment, but – to an individual and class-related degree – as responsible for the society he is a part of. Nevertheless, the stories point out that it is never too late to be remorseful about one's actions, no matter how severe the offence. It is not described how society punishes the protagonists as a warning example, since the reader is not supposed to feel pleased about the state directly penalizing transgressors. Instead, the natural consequences of immoral behaviour are illustrated in order to admonish the reader for better self-knowledge and possible individual advancement.[3] Thus, exemplary social punishment or an otherworldly salvation or retribution is not mentioned, because this could, as Stephen Sharot writes, 'contradict a classical Confucian view that good should be done for its own sake or to bring order to the world.'[4] The reader should do good solely because it is the good, not by reason of fear for punishment or hope of reward.[5]
Ji Yun had a traditional view on society and was an open-minded liberal, who liked to encourage original and extraordinary opinions. Since it is promoted that humans find their fulfilment in their social function and identification with their social class.
Overall, the collection can be seen as a socio-critical satire with the claim to morally influence the traditional elite, especially the scholars of the 18th century. Even though the protagonists of the classically uneducated other strata are not illustrated in a better light, they do not bear as much responsibility. It is moreover indicated that the scholars ultimately deprive their own social class of basis of legitimacy by their insufficient behaviour.
Apart from this serious criticism, the moral and didacticism of the YWCT is easily overrated to the disadvantage of the omnipresent wit and humour.
NOTES
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[1] See also Leo Chan, 1998, p. 145; Rania Huntington, 2003, p. 207. Here, yao 妖 means all kind of anomalies.
[2] See also Roel Sterckx, 2002, chapter 'Interpreting the Strange', pp. 211–216.
[3] See also Olga Fisman, 1974, pp. 583–587.
[4] Stephen Sharot, 2001, p. 77.
[5] „[...]; da er das Gute thun wird, weil es das Gute ist, nicht weil willkührliche Belohnungen darauf gesetzt sind, die seinen flatterhaften Blick ehedem blos heften und stärken sollten, die innern bessern Belohnungen desselben zu erkennen.“ Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts (Berlin, 1780), §. 85. [www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/8mens10.txt, accessed: 6 February 2008]