Dictionary of Appreciating Ming and Qing Legends (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Jiang Xingyu / Qi Senhua / Zhao Shanlin (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This book collects 168 legendary plays totaling 281 titles, with consideration for historical heritage. In addition to Ming and Qing Dynasty works, a few surviving Southern Drama plays from before the Ming Dynasty are included. The order of playwrights and titles in the main text is largely based on Zhuang Yifo's A Comprehensive Catalogue of Classical Chinese Drama, with minor adjustments according to contemporary research. The legendary plays included in this book are based on series such as Sixty Classical Plays, Warm Red Room Collected Legends, Shemo Room Drama Collection, Classical Drama Series (Volumes 1, 2, 3, 5), Ancient Drama Series, Ming and Qing Dynasty Legend Selections, as well as other selected drama collections like Zhuibaiqiu, and relevant single-issue publications or annotated editions. In principle, each play (or act) is accompanied by an appreciation article. For clarity, sometimes two plays (or acts) are combined for commentary. The book uses simplified characters, with traditional characters or variant forms used when necessary to avoid ambiguity. Annotations for obscure terms and historical references in each play (or act) are provided below the original text for readers' convenience. The appendix includes: brief biographies of playwrights, basic knowledge of reading drama (Southern Drama and Legend sections), chronological table of Ming and Qing Dynasty legends, bibliography of Ming and Qing Dynasty legends, concise compilation of Ming and Qing Dynasty Southern Drama tunes, a table of nine selected excerpts from late Ming dynasty drama collections, and a table of five selected excerpts from drama collections since the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.