The Compilation Methods of Lu Xun's “Gu Xiao Shuo Gou Chen” and its Pros and Cons: with a Focus on the Compilation of “Ming Xiang Ji”

Abstract

Lu Xun’s（鲁迅） “Gu Xiao Shuo Gou Chen”（《古小说钩沉》） is a masterpiece in the compilation of Chinese ancient novels. In the compilation of “Ming Xiang Ji”（《冥祥记》）, Lu Xun carefully corrects illogical elements in the stories by comparing various books. He meticulously sifts through materials related to “Ming Xiang Ji”, discerning and removing what he deems as spurious works to achieve the goal of separating truth from falsehood. Additionally, he not only focuses on the materials related to “Ming Xiang Ji” but also incorporates materials from other books into the compilation of “Ming Xiang Ji”. Ultimately, Lu Xun connects scattered ancient novel texts from various books to create a more detailed and complete narrative. It is evident that Lu Xun's compilation goes beyond simple juxtaposition and listing; instead, it is based on various academic judgments, involving careful revision, compilation, and even restructuring of the text. While most of Lu Xun’s methods have solid justifications, there are points of contention. Firstly, deleting some novel stories that labelled as “Ming Xiang Ji” without providing explanations. In fact, these stories cannot be completely ruled out as possibly originating from “Ming Xiang Ji”. Secondly, in the process of connecting and merging, the creation of a “Lu Xun version” of the ancient novel text may deviate from the original ancient novels. Such interventions by later scholars in the compilation of literary texts may potentially mislead current scholarly research, warranting attention and caution.