- Hardcover: 825 pages
- Publisher: University of Washington Press (1 Jun 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0295978430
- ISBN-13: 978-0295978437
- Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 16.6 x 4.1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,651,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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"As a truly complete collection of vernacular stories, [this volume] clearly sets a new standard for the English-speaking world." Review of Bibliography in Sinology "An important addition to any collection supporting Asian literature in translation or Chinese history." Choice
--This text refers to the
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"Stories Old and New" is the first complete translation of Feng Menglong's "Gujin xiaoshuo" (also known as Yushi mingyan, Illustrious Words to Instruct the World), a collection of 40 short stories first published in 1620 in China. This is considered the best of Feng's three such collections and was a pivotal work in the development of vernacular fiction. The stories are valuable as examples of early fiction and for their detailed depiction of daily life among a broad range of social classes. The stories are populated by scholars and courtesans, spirits and ghosts, Buddhist monks and nuns, pirates and emperors, and officials both virtuous and corrupt. The streets and abodes of late-Ming China come alive in Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang's smooth and colorful translation of these entertaining tales. "Stories Old and New" has long been popular in China and has been published there in numerous editions. Although some of the stories have appeared in English translations in journals and anthologies, they have not previously been presented sequentially in thematic pairs as arranged by Feng Menglong. This unabridged translation, illustrated with a selection of woodcuts from the original Ming dynasty edition and including Feng's interlinear notes and marginal comments, as well as all of the verse woven throughout the text, allows the modern reader to experience the text as did its first audience nearly four centuries ago.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A reflection of Chinese society in Ming China...
20 Jan 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This collection of 40 stories, as translated into English, is based on a famous two-volume Chinese publication. KU CHIN CHI KUAN - the Chinese title, meaning Startling Stories Old and New. The entire collection was compiled and edited by Master Feng Meng Long during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). The stories reflected on the Chinese society at the grassroots' level in which the people would often hear them being told and retold at the teahouses and wayside gatherings in the summer evenings by their favourite storytellers. And Feng Meng Long gathered and edited them and then had them published which were being preserved to this day. The English translation had been attempted in the past years first by the Foreign Language Press at Beijing under The Courtesan's Jewel Box with about 20 selection out of the original 40 stories. Another attempt was rendered by Cyril Birch under the title of Stories From A Ming Collection - The Art of the Chines Storyteller. However, he only attempted to select a mere selection of only 8 stories. The present collection is the combined efforts of both Yunqin Yang (freelance interpeter at the United Nations) and Prof. Shuhui Yang of Washington University in St. Louis to which they faithfully translated the entire 40 stories from Chinese to English.
Their translation is very readable, concise and expertly done. The stories in this amazing collection are populated with scholars and courteans, spirits and ghosts, Buddhist monks and nuns, Eastern pirates (or the Japanese Wokous) and emperors and officials who were both virtuous and corrupt. This superb English translation is unabridged and with also a selection of woodcut drawings from the original Ming Dynasty collection. Let's hope that this collection would soon be restocked and made available to customers of Amazon.com. Highly recommended and extremely interesting collection of ancient Chinese short stories...worthy to read and grace your library collection. Thank you.
Their translation is very readable, concise and expertly done. The stories in this amazing collection are populated with scholars and courteans, spirits and ghosts, Buddhist monks and nuns, Eastern pirates (or the Japanese Wokous) and emperors and officials who were both virtuous and corrupt. This superb English translation is unabridged and with also a selection of woodcut drawings from the original Ming Dynasty collection. Let's hope that this collection would soon be restocked and made available to customers of Amazon.com. Highly recommended and extremely interesting collection of ancient Chinese short stories...worthy to read and grace your library collection. Thank you.
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