Moonlit Scenery

Author: Shen Congwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: To say a word to beauty, to annotate love, to be appropriate and suitable, not to lose the style within reach of one's feelings, which is not an attainable ability for an ordinary person. There is an elegant girl, dressed in a green robe, standing beside the princess, playing the Eastern classical music "Chapter of Deer's Sound" to welcome the distant guests. "The New Decameron" is the general title of the author for this group of romantic stories, showing similarity to yet difference from Boccaccio's "Decameron." Except for the preface, each story is adapted from Buddhist tales. Through the author's ingenious arrangement and playful composition, infused with humor, they all point to real-life situations, making for a richly interesting read. "Alice's Chinese Journey" is a long fairy tale written by the author, with a style similar to "Scenes Under the Moon," using fairy tales to critique the contemporary world with a touch of sharpness. Several chapters are excerpted for appreciation. Before his passing, Shen Congwen had a wish to carefully select his works and publish a series of compact little books. It was not about how exquisite or luxurious they were, but about clear handwriting and a simple yet elegant style that was comfortable to look at. The small size made them easy to collect, carry, and read. This selected edition differs from previous compilations. We have added some texts beyond his past works to the front of each booklet. These include essays, diaries, reviews, unfinished works, and mainly letters—all collected and organized in recent years, most of which have not been published before. Regardless, these pieces either reflect the author's views on society, literary creation, and historical and literary research at the time, or reveal his circumstances, inner conflicts, joys, sorrows, and frustrations. Publishing them may help readers gain a broader understanding of his works, his character, and the historical context of the time.