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Abstract
Many critics point out a generic mix in Pu Songlings Liaozhai zhiyi, a collection of zhiguai tales written in chuanqi mode. This thesis takes it as a generic innovation, denominating it zhiyi genre and probing into the relationship between its nature and the serious intention it bears. After an exploration of the generic relationship between xiaoshuo, zhiguai and chuanqi in the Introduction, the first part conducts a theoretical discussion of the features of this generic innovation. The second part makes a case study of several typical stories, asking questions such as what are the distinctive generic features of zhiyi genre? and what is the relationship between genre and content? Through close reading and analysis of several tales, it relates the creation of zhiyi genre to the expression of a contradiction between traditional social values and the changing ones of the Qing Dynasty.