A Portal of Hidden Knowledge: The Motif of the Bridge in Classical Chinese Literature
A Portal of Hidden Knowledge: The Motif of the Bridge in Classical Chinese Literature

Summary/Abstract: The present study aims to explore the multiple meanings attached to the motif of the bridge found in the Chinese early literature and elucidate the reasons behind its recurrence in different contexts and at different stages during the historical evolution of the Chinese medieval novel. The method of research consists of analyzing some yet insufficiently explored sources, especially the legends compiled during the Qing dynasty (1636-1912) by different authors, while trying to shed light on their deeper significance with the help of the tools provided by disciplines such as anthropology and the history of religions. The results can show that the landscape as depicted in the literature had the important role of hiding a deeper layer of reality that was made available only at an appropriate time to the protagonists of the stories in which the sacred is always accessed through landscape elements which serve as portals to an unknown dimension of their existence.

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