英文摘要
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"Minggan," Chapter 31 of Xu Zichang's play Shuihu ji, describes how Yan Poxi, having been murdered by her husband, Song Jiang, returns from beyond the grave to visit her lover, Zhang Wenyuan, and eventually forces him to return with her to the netherworld. In Water Margin Yan Poxi plays only a minor role, but in Shuihu ji she is developed into a main character who makes a declaration of her love for Zhang Wenyuan, whose emotions are depicted with much detail, and whose feminine charms are displayed with a highly artistic choreography. In this paper I discuss the modern adaptations of Water Margin and Shuihu ji, paying particular attention to the development of Yan Poxi's character as an example of how classics are reinvented. I also discuss the process of adapting a novel into a play and how the understanding of aesthetics and emotions prevalent in the Ming dynasty are made intelligible to contemporary audiences.
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