Religion and Canon Formation: Buddhism, Vernacular Literature, and the Case of Jin Shengtan (1608-1661)

Abstract

of power, privilege, and wealth. Such had clearly been the case with the examination curriculum during late imperial times in China. Although the core texts of the curricular canon did not change during this time, a significant number of literati, including the key figure of the current essay, Jin Shengtan ~ ~ ~, entertained doubts as to whether the officially sanctioned genres and styles were the sole or most appropriate for the selection of worthy candidates. The collapse of the established political order in 1911 took such questioning to new levels. Intellectuals and scholars debated over whether textual labor mattered, and if so, which texts furthered political stability or reform. In the wake of Liang Qichao's ~~m claim that fiction could empower the masses, reform-minded critics favored broad-based linguistic and symbolic access. As a result, after having previously been consigned to the margins of literary respectability, traditional vernacular forms such as fiction [xiaoshuo /J\~] and short and long operatic drama [zaju ~ iJU; chuanqi l' ~] were suddenly catapulted into prominence. The precise mechanics and effects of canonization, however, even as they pertain to well-known works such as the novel Shuihu zhuan 7J,im:1$ [Water Margin] or the romantic comedy Xixiang ji gs a§ ~c. [The Story of the Western Wing], remain to be investigated. The ubiquity of religious elements in vernacular materials put reformers in a quandary. They were aware that vernacular novels and dramas were widely read among non-elite