Dictionary of Appreciating Ming and Qing Dynasty Legends (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Jiang Xingyu, Qi Senhua, Zhao Shanlin (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This book collects 168 legendary plays totaling 281 titles, taking historical inheritance into account. In addition to Ming and Qing Dynasty works, a few surviving Southern Opera plays from before the Ming Dynasty are also included. The order of playwrights and play titles in the main text is largely based on Zhuang Yifo's A Comprehensive Catalog of Classical Chinese Drama, with minor adjustments according to modern research findings. The legendary plays included in this book are based on series such as Sixty Classical Plays, Warm Red Room Collected Legends, Shemo Room Opera Collection, Classical Drama Series (Volumes 1, 2, 3, 5), Ancient Drama Series, Ming and Qing Dynasty Legendary Plays Selection, as well as other selected opera collections like Zhuibaiqiu, and relevant single-issue publications or annotated editions. In principle, each play (or act) is accompanied by an appreciation article. For clarity, sometimes two plays (or acts) are combined into one appreciation. The book uses simplified characters, with traditional characters or variant forms used when necessary to avoid ambiguity. Annotations are provided for obscure terms and historical background of each included play (or act), placed below the original text for readers' reference. The appendix includes: brief biographies of playwrights, basic knowledge of reading opera (Southern Opera and Legendary Plays sections), chronological list of Ming and Qing Dynasty legendary plays, bibliography of Ming and Qing Dynasty legendary plays, concise compilation of Ming and Qing Dynasty Southern Opera tunes, a table of nine selected excerpts from late Ming Dynasty bookshop opera collections, and a table of five selected excerpts from opera collections since the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.