明末湧現的豔情小說雖難登大雅，卻具有反映社會文化的文獻價值，成為瞭解當時風氣不可或缺的重要文本。其中署名西湖漁隱的《觀喜冤家》，它不同於其他色情滿紙的作品，乃是以女性情欲與婚姻關係作為範疇，可作為研議此命題的立論依據。鑑於此，本文以此書作為研究對象，首段先考察是書的成書歷程及體例，並對現今得見的版本撰寫敘錄；而在確立文本後，繼之研議書中對倫常體系的擘畫方式，是知作者援用民間群眾信守的勸善思想，架構在制式僵化的儒家教條之上，讓情欲議題能獲取討論的空間；在情欲的界定上，雖亦按照功過格對姦淫過犯的計算公式，卻也因此可讓犯錯的女性得到救贖機會，且可藉此再次詮釋情欲的意涵：將情欲視做生理需求，容攝於天性之內，並用以衡量婚姻的是否合理。雖然勸善觀容許女性爭取情欲與婚姻的自主權力，惟仍無法跳脫父權社會的強大壓力與思想遺傳，令叛逃禮法的女性終將回歸於禮教之下，正指出明末女性對愛情與婚姻的自主想望，終難逾越禮教設下的重重屏障。

The pornographic novel, Joyful Lovers, of the late Ming Dynasty is the subject of research in this paper. It analyses the system of normal and accepted ways of human relationship in this book and how it was exercised. This paper also attempts to understand how the author (he West Lake Hermit Fisherman) defined “passion”, according to the way of Heaven, and established the system of thoughts on feminine passion in this book. It is clear from the writing process and examples given that the author followed the writing style of vernacular short stories. Having identified the text to be discussed, this paper then discusses that the scheme of the system of normal and accepted ways of human relationship in this book invoked the thoughts of the populace regarding their firm believes of the exhortation for good deeds. This plan supported by the rigid doctrine of the Confucians, thus left rooms for discussion on the subject of passion. As for the delimitation of passion, the author bluntly pointed out that passion was a physical need and was within the realm of human nature. This logic was used to judge the rationale of marriage. Although the author sympathetically understood the inferior social status of women, he realized that these women could not escape the powerful and strong pressure and the tradition of a patriarchal society, and those who dared to defy the ethical code eventually succumbed. The author repeatedly pointed out that the hope of women of the Ming Dynasty in the independence of their love and marriage still could not surmount barriers after barriers of the ethical code.