小說與戲曲作為中國敘事文學中最重要的兩種文類，發展過程裡亦經常可以見到互相影響的痕跡；兩者也同時在明代掀起了一個創作的高峰，留下諸多精彩的文學作品。這個時期長篇小說以四大奇書：《三國演義》、《水滸傳》、《西遊記》、《金瓶梅》作為最重要的代表作品；短篇小說部分，馮夢龍的「三言」與凌濛初的「二拍」則是繼承了宋元話本的傳統而進一步發展為更富於文學價值的創作。在戲曲部分，明代傳奇是繼元雜劇之後出現的一個新的發展階段，在大量文人的投入創作後，令傳奇劇本在藝術形式與思想上皆出現高度成熟的表現，並可以見到如徐渭、湯顯祖、李開先等優秀劇作家，劇本的創作質量與戲劇理論的發展，皆可視為是明代文壇的重要成就之一。
除了文學上的價值與意義，另一方面，我們亦可將這些文本視為一個時代的縮影，一種社會性的文本，進而窺探作品中所透露出的各種抽象以至具體的訊息：明朝人的思想與情感、政治與社會、物質生活與各種品味文化。這門課將帶領同學一起進入明代小說與戲曲豐富的內涵，一方面藉由文本的閱讀充分領會明代小說戲曲的藝術成就與文學趣味，同時也透過文字穿越時空，一訪明朝人精彩的生活內涵與精神世界。

Novels and operas are the two most important genres in Chinese narrative literature, and traces of mutual influence can often be seen in the development process. The two also set off a creative peak in the Ming Dynasty, leaving behind many wonderful literary works. The four great novels of this period: "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", "Journey to the West", and "Jin Ping Mei" are the most important representative works; for short stories, Feng Menglong's "Three Words" and Ling Shuchu's "Two Pai" inherited the tradition of the Song and Yuan scripts and further developed into creations with greater literary value. In terms of opera, legends in the Ming Dynasty were a new stage of development that followed the Yuan dramas. After a large number of literati invested in their creations, legend scripts became highly mature in both artistic form and ideology. Excellent playwrights such as Xu Wei, Tang Xianzu, and Li Kaixian can be seen. The quality of script creation and the development of drama theory can be regarded as one of the important achievements of the literary world of the Ming Dynasty.
In addition to their literary value and significance, on the other hand, we can also view these texts as a microcosm of an era, a social text, and then explore the various abstract and concrete messages revealed in the works: the thoughts and emotions, politics and society, material life and various taste cultures of the Ming Dynasty people. This course will lead students into the rich connotations of novels and operas of the Ming Dynasty. On the one hand, through reading the texts, they can fully understand the artistic achievements and literary interest of the novels and operas of the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, through words, they can travel through time and space to visit the wonderful life connotations and spiritual world of the Ming Dynasty people.

羅貫中：《三國演義》
施耐庵：《水滸傳》
吳承恩：《西遊記》
蘭陵笑笑生：《金瓶梅》
馮夢龍「三言」
凌濛初「二拍」
毛晉：《六十種曲》
王利器輯錄《元明清三代禁毀小說戲曲史料（增訂本）》
大木康：《秦淮風月》
王璦玲：《明清傳奇名作人物刻畫之藝術性》
王璦玲：《晚明清初戲曲之審美構思與其藝術呈現》
華瑋：《明清婦女之戲曲創作與批評》
華瑋：《明清婦女戲曲集》
韓田鹿：《三言二拍看明朝》

Luo Guanzhong: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
Shi Naian: "Water Margin"
Wu Chengen: "Journey to the West"
Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng: "Jin Ping Mei"
Feng Menglong's "Three Words"
Ling Shuchu's "Second Shot"
Mao Jin: "Sixty Kinds of Songs"
Wang Liqi compiled "Historical Materials on Forbidden Novels and Operas of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (Updated Edition)"
Omu Kang: "Qinhuai Wind and Moon"
Wang Ailing: "The Artistry of Character Depictions in Legendary Masterpieces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties"
Wang Ailing: "The Aesthetic Concept and Artistic Presentation of Opera in the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties"
Hua Wei: "Women's Opera Creation and Criticism in Ming and Qing Dynasties"
Hua Wei: "Collection of Women's Operas of Ming and Qing Dynasties"
Han Tianlu: "Looking at the Ming Dynasty in Three Words and Two Films"