Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts - Assignment Example

Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts Précis of Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts Music has historically been manipulated in the Ming society for erotic expression. Thus, it is through writing and reading about the manipulations of music, that the late Ming authors were able to experience the eroticism of music sensationally, making these late Ming musical-erotic texts very informative of the Ming cultural society (Lam, 2010). On the other hand, the late Ming authors also manipulated music not only to create insights into the culture of the Ming society, but also as a means of advancing the erotic agenda. The fictional and informal popular Ming texts gives a highly collaborated and synchronized account of the erotic musical culture of the Ming society, so much so that they can be used to reference one another and eventually produce verifiable facts about the Ming culture of music (Lam, 2010). Thus, the only way though which the Ming musical culture can be understood is through the application of the concept of musiking, which allows for the manipulation of music as objects, sites and processes that advances individualized agendas at a specific time, and targeted at the application of shared language with a selective social audience (Lam, 2010). Through the application of this concept, it is easier to arrive at a possible identifiable and verifiable musical position of the Ming society that allows for the understanding of the functions and operations of the Ming music (Lam, 2010). The fact that the popular Ming dramas, novels and poems make revealing descriptions of the erotic culture of the Ming society, is by itself admissible, but highly unverifiable account of the erotic-musical culture of this society, since such revealing fictional accounts could be exaggerated or even imaginary (Lam, 2010). Secondly, while there is the possibility of the fictional and popular modern Ming texts such as novels, dramas and poems being imaginary and exaggerated thus becoming less credible and dependable as true reflections of the erotic-musical culture of the Ming, the various fictional accounts are too collaborated to be ignored (Lam, 2010).Thus, while the Ming music is no longer existing to project such erotic-musical expressions, the late Ming texts have made it their business to represent the musical culture, through both less descriptive historical/factual accounts, as well as through the more revealing and detailed fictional and informal text accounts (Lam, 2010). Critique of Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts The argument by the author of this article is highly persuasive, owing to the fact that; not only does the author draw from the cultural and historical features of the Ming society in order to reinforce his argument, but also compliments the same with a series of contemporary revealing late Ming texts, which then serves to make the author’s argument solid. According to the author of the article, the Ming contemporaries have manipulated music to suit their erotic interests, through applying the music objects, processes and sites to advance their erotic agendas (Lam, 2010). It is in this respect that the moral leaders in the contemporary Ming society realized the power of music as a tool for sexual expression, and thus intervened by trying to censor Ming erotic-musical performance, but the liberalists promoted music performance for the purpose of expressing their sexual desires, minds and hearts (Lam, 2010). However, while the Ming society applied music in such forms of sexual expression, it is the contemporary society that took up the concept and magnified it, through writing and reading texts that would help such contemporaries to vicariously experience music and the eroticism that came with it (Lam, 2010). Thus, it is through the contribution of the contemporary written texts, other than for the actual existences of Ming music, that people have found a way of expressing and experiencing their erotic desires, although the historical and factual existence of such texts is very limited, such that the eroticism expression highly depends on the fictional and informal written texts, such as dramas, novels and poems (Brook, 1998). The central argument in this article is that the late Ming wrote and read about the manipulation of music both as a catalyst and erotic expression, so that they could enjoy the eroticism that comes with the music manipulation (Lam, 2010). In this respect, the author holds that; while the cultural Ming society could have manipulated music and used it for erotic expression, it is the late Ming writers who have set the strategy of enjoying the eroticism that comes with music manipulation. Thus, according to the author, little evidence exists to show that the Ming society manipulated music for the purposes of erotic expression (Lam, 2010). The late Ming texts have been developed ranging from the short phrases all the way to long and detailed reports, all seeking to establish a relationship between the Ming music and erotic expression. However, despite the existence of the Ming texts in varied forms ranging from factual to fictional and fictionalized, such texts are ambiguous and complex to rely on (Lam, 2010). The strength of the central argument of the article is based on the fact that; there is a bulk of greatly detailed and revealing texts of fictional and informal nature on the subject of erotic-musical expression that has been developed by the Ming contemporaries. However, the weakness of the central argument, to the effect that it is the Ming contemporaries who manipulated music for erotic expression is the fact that; the numerous fictional and informal late Ming texts are highly collaborated and provide comparative information on the subject of Ming music manipulation for erotic expression, such that they can easily comparable, and as such they are relevant to a certain extent (Lam, 2010). The author of the article applies the fact that Ming erotic music has already vanished, as the evidence that backs the central argument (Lam, 2010). Therefore, the existence of many and greatly detailed documentation of fictional and informal texts on the topic of Ming music eroticism is a clear indication that the contemporaries have taken up the music and manipulated it such that it can allow them to express their erotic desires, while at the same time acting as a catalyst that helps them project their sexual feelings and intentions to their audiences (Lam, 2010). Further, the evidence that exists to back the central argument, is the evidence to the effect that the historical and factual evidence that the manipulation of Ming music for erotic expression is minimal and not readily comprehensible (Lam, 2010). Therefore, since there is little historical and factual evidence that can be relied upon in relation to the application of music for erotic expression in the Ming society, there is no doubt then, that it is the contemporaries that have manipulated music for the purpose of erotic expression. Additionally, the only detailed and revealing evidence that exists to the contrary is in the form fictional and informal written late Ming texts, which are unreliable and undependable (Lam, 2010). The author applies assumptions that the minimal and not readily comprehensible evidence offered by the factual and historical late Ming text is not sufficient to be relied upon. Thus, the author’s bias tends to favor the fictional and informal evidence, by easily concluding that there is a great deal of fictional/informal evidence that exists to show that the contemporaries were responsible for manipulating music for the purpose of expressing their erotic desires (Lam, 2010). This way, the question as to what form of musical evidence still exists that would have addressed the subject of music manipulation for the purpose of erotic expression still remains (Brook, 1998). Further, while the author has presented a list of fictional and informal texts to backup the central argument, there is little reference to the factual and historical evidences available for this study. Thus, some factual and historical evidence ought to have been included as well. References Brook, T. (1998). The confusions of pleasure: Commerce and culture in Ming China. Berkeley: University of California Press. Lam, J.C. (2010). Reading Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts. Nan Nü 12, 215-254. Read More