Aesop's Fables (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Feng Menglong Yue Qun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The original title of this book is "Ancient and Modern Stories," a collection of short vernacular novels published during the Ming Dynasty. Together with "" (Warn the World) and "" (Awaken the World), it forms the "Three Canons," a compilation by Feng Menglong of vernacular tales from the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, consisting of 40 works and hailed as a treasure trove of Chinese classical short stories. The book covers a wide range of themes, depicting the real life of urban citizens and reflecting the thoughts, desires, and moral standards of the urban class. The content is broadly divided into several parts:
1. Marriage, Family, and Love, where the positive themes include advocating free love and condemning ungratefulness, such as "Zhang Shumei Meets a Beautiful Woman at the Lantern Festival" and "Jinyunu Beats the Unfeeling Lover";
2. Exposing the darkness of the officialdom, such as "Shen Xiaoxia Meets at the Letter of Resignation";
3. Reflecting the suffering of the people due to enemy invasions, such as "Yang Balao's Miraculous Encounter in the Foreign Land";
Additionally, there are stories praising self-sacrifice for friendship, such as "Yang Jiao'ai Sacrifices His Life for Friendship," as well as tales depicting deities, immortals, and Buddhist figures, such as "Liang Wuji's Accumulated Merits Lead to Enlightenment."