Secularity and Human Relations— Study on the Utopian Imagery in The Love Story of a Young Monk

Abstract

Having suffered from the spiritual trauma caused by the Cultural Revolution, Wang Zengqi reshaped the ideal society and national character through novels such as The Love Story of a Young Monk, which helped to solve the problem of spiritual distress for the folks. Continuing the romantic narrative tradition of Chinese classical literature, The Love Story of a Young Monk shows human emotions and materials in ordinary life. The common people who live in Anzhao Village hold simple moral values, shaping stable and harmonious human relations, which forms a negation and criticism survival that conforms to human nature and roots in secular life. This article attempts to study the romantic imagery in Wang Zengqi’s The Love Story of a Young Monk and finds that Wang Zengqi describes his utopian imagery from both secular and ethical perspectives, hoping to use this imagery to solve people’s current state of disappointment.