Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 1, 2, 3)

Author: Luo Guanzhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The full title is Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The author, Luo Guanzhong, was a Ming Dynasty scholar. There are differing accounts of Luo Guanzhong's life. According to Jia Zhongming's Record of Anti-Biographies, Luo Guanzhong's given name was Ben, and he was from Taiyuan, styled as Huahai Sanren. Some say he was from Qiantang, while others claim he was from Luling. It is said that he studied under Shi Nai'an and collaborated with him on writing novels, including Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties and The Three Kingdoms Conquer the Demons. He also wrote the The Gathering of Wind and Clouds. This book is based on Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's annotations, as well as the Yuan Dynasty edition of The Three Kingdoms in Plain Language and folk tales of the Three Kingdoms. It depicts the historical struggles of the Wei, Shu, and Wu states during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, reflecting the social turmoil of the time and exposing the power struggles among the nobility within the dynasty. The entire work is marked by clear feudal orthodox ideology, favoring Liu over Cao and denouncing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The story is intricate, grand in scope, and written with refined language and a rigorous structure. Its descriptions of battles, characters' psychology, and portrayals of figures are at the peak of perfection. For example, the characters of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhou Yu, and Sun Quan are so vividly depicted that their images have deeply resonated in the hearts of people of all ages, becoming widely known and beloved by literary enthusiasts through the ages. Thus, it is hailed as a masterpiece of literary talent and renowned far and wide.