Modestly describing himself as having only a cursory understanding of comparative literature, he says he can't help feeling curious about the "commonalties" of different cultures.
侯思孟以「陌上桑」（豔歌羅敷行）為例指出，全詩五十三行，和詩文慣例的「偶數行」不相符；而羅敷只是一個王侯家令的妻子，還要外出採桑貼補家用，卻被描寫為「頭上倭墮髻，耳中明月珠」，這也是民間詩人滿足平民慾望的一種方式。