Li Gyo

He was the first Chinese literati in the late Ming and Qing dynasties. His pen name was Liao Wang. He was also known by the names of Hushang Liao Wang and Jue Shi Tiao Guan. He was born in Lanxi, Zhejiang Province. He gave up his official career in his youth during the rebellion at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He then traveled around the country, mingling with famous people of the time, and in his later years he lived on the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou and died. He was a gifted young man, and in addition to poetry, he also wrote plays and novels, and was particularly popular as a playwright. He is known for his plays, "Ten Songs of Liao Wang," and his novels include "Silent Play" and "The Twelve Towers of Jue Shi Famous Quotes." He is also said to have written "The Sexual Futon," a work famous for its erotic writing. His miscellaneous poetry and writings are collected in the "Li Yi Wang Ikkagen," of which "Kanjō Guqi" is the most well-known. This is a superb essay that exhaustively presents the hedonist Li Yi Wang's literary theory, criticism of civilization, and aesthetic outlook, but his theory on drama and theater is considered the most detailed in history and is important for understanding his dramatization method. His plays and novels were also introduced to Japan, where they were particularly popular among Edo-period comic writers.

[Muramatsu Akira]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)末清(しん)初の文人。字(あざな)は笠翁(りゅうおう)。湖上笠翁、覚世稗(はい)官などの号がある。浙江(せっこう)省蘭谿(らんけい)の出身。青年期に明末の乱にあって官途に望みを断ち、以後各地を遊歴して、時の名士たちと交わり、晩年は杭州(こうしゅう)西湖のほとりに住んで死んだ。若いころから非常な才子で、詩文はもとより、戯曲・小説にも手を染め、ことに劇作家として一世を風靡(ふうび)した。戯曲は『笠翁十種曲』が著名であり、小説には『無声戯』『覚世名言十二楼』などがあり、淫書(いんしょ)として名高い『肉蒲団(にくぶとん)』も彼の作とされる。また詩文雑著の類は、『笠翁一家言』のなかに集められているが、なかでも『閒情偶奇(かんじょうぐうき)』がもっとも知られる。これは、享楽主義者李笠翁の文学論、文明批評、審美観などを余すところなく示した好エッセイであるが、とりわけその戯曲演劇論は、古来もっとも詳細なものとされ、彼の作劇法を知るうえでも重要である。なお彼の戯曲・小説は日本にも伝わり、とくに江戸の戯作(げさく)者たちの間でもてはやされた。

［村松　暎］

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