2-Volume Selection -- A Series of Mini-Reviews of Chinese Classical Novels

Author: Wang Junwei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-08-01
Features: A bleak portrayal of the declining Ming society—psychological imbalance caused by extreme wealth inequality and social unrest triggered by a corrupt system. The main problems in the thematic content of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (《》) can be summarized into two points. The first is the crude erotic descriptions. Many works, such as The Western Mountain Temple Conducts Funerals, Kaifeng Prefecture Prepares Coffins to Save Lives, The Beard Exchange Leads to Seduction, the Rebirth of the Master through Meditation, and The Village Woman’s Tragic Death for Passion, the Courtier’s Judgment by Divine Command, contain lewd depictions. These works reflect the vulgar tastes of the urban populace. The second is the strong influence of religious superstition, the belief in cause and effect, and fatalism. Stories like Ambassador Wang’s Authority Over His Subordinates, Li’s Vengeance for Past Wrongs, The Tavern’s Scheme for Wealth and Evil, the Ghost’s Testimony for Yang Hua’s Borrowed Body, Li Ke-Rang’s Empty Letter and Liu Yuan-Pu’s Twin Sons, and Zhang Rong’s Encounter with a Tiger through a Medium, Pei Yue-K’e’s Marriage on a Lucky Day are filled with descriptions of encounters with spirits, rewards for good deeds, and punishments for evil.
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio Continued () are the earliest collections of storytelling scripts independently created by literati in the history of Chinese classical fiction, akin to modern short story collections. Their defining features are their small volume and brevity. Despite this, short stories can still shape vivid and dynamic typical characters through representative life fragments or the experiences and encounters of key figures in a particular stage of their lives, vividly presenting and addressing significant issues in real life. Ling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio not only faithfully fulfilled the mission history bestowed upon him but also objectively pushed the creation of Chinese short fiction to a new height. Before Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, there were Feng Menglong’s Three Words, but Feng primarily compiled and refined the "cihua" (quatrains and tales) from the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. In contrast to Ling Mengchu’s independently created Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, the latter exhibits greater artistic consistency and maturity, marking the beginning of a new era. The stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and its continuation total 80, most of which revolve around two major themes: greed and lust, much like money and beauty in capitalism. Capitalism, compared to feudal society, represents progress in freeing individuals and humanity from feudal constraints but lags in the expansion of selfish desires and indulgence. This reveals the limitations and incompleteness of capitalism’s liberation from feudalism. In the past, many regarded Ling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio as heresy, a view clearly biased. To take the essence and discard the dross, adopting a critical and selective approach to inherit cultural heritage has always been the attitude and method toward such legacies. I believe readers will each draw their own insights. The selection in this book is based on the first and second editions published by Shang You Tang during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, resequenced accordingly, and supplemented with references to other editions to correct errors.