Romance of the Western Chamber (Popular Library of Chinese Classical Novel Masterpieces): Popular Library of Chinese Classical Novel Masterpieces

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: In eighteenth and nineteenth-century Europe, if you asked a scholar or writer which Chinese novel they considered the best, they would surely tell you it was Huo Qiu Zhen. The title of Huo Qiu Zhen is derived from the phrase "yao tiao shu nu, jun zi hao qiu" from the Guan Ju section of the Book of Songs. The entire novel, consisting of eighteen chapters, tells the love story between Tie Zhongyu and Shui Bingxin. The two help each other in times of hardship, develop mutual affection, yet strictly adhere to the principles of propriety and righteousness, and ultimately are granted a marriage by the imperial decree, becoming the perfect "huo qiu" (ideal match). Wu Hang Ye Ke commented in Zhu Chun Yuan Xiao Shi that Huo Qiu Zhen has a unique style, breaking free from common clichés, and even a master of poetry like Qin Xi Bian Shi could set his own distinctive flag. Yu Xin, who had often criticized the tales of scholars and beauties, said of Huo Qiu Zhen that it has better literary expression and slightly more distinctive character personalities.