Wonderful Views of Ancient and Modern Times

Author: Lao Ren of the Jar
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The 40 works in Strange Stories from Ancient and Modern Times reflect the life and thoughts of the urban class from multiple perspectives. They not only showcase the new ideas emerging during the early stages of capitalism but also retain and old consciousness, including some descriptions of deities and immortals, promotion of feudal ethics, and erotic content. This interweaving of progress and backwardness is a fundamental characteristic of the emerging urban literature of that time. In terms of artistic expression, many of the excellent works in Strange Stories from Ancient and Modern Times emphasize a complete plot, intricate details, and rich descriptions, while employing various techniques to portray characters' psychology and personalities, shaping well-rounded typical figures. These works possess positive ideological content and a high artistic standard. The selected works in Strange Stories from Ancient and Modern Times are limited to the Ming Dynasty, excluding older works from the Song and Yuan periods. The 40 selected pieces generally embody the main ideological spirit of Three Words and Two Snaps, including many of its more outstanding works.