Classical Chinese Literature Masterpieces - A Collection of Moral and Worldly Tales

Author: (Ming) Feng Menglong (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-05-01
Features: A Collection of Moral Stories (also known as The Stories of Antiquity and Modern Times), a collection of vernacular short stories published during the Ming Dynasty. Together with A Warning to the World and A Waking World, it forms the "Three Canons," a compendium of storytelling texts from the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties compiled by Feng Menglong. It has long been celebrated as a treasure trove of classical Chinese short fiction. A Collection of Moral Stories contains 40 works, divided into three parts: first, storytelling texts from the Song and Yuan dynasties; second, texts from the Ming dynasty and imitations thereof; and third, Feng Menglong's own works. The first two categories were also edited and revised by Feng Menglong. According to expert research, Yang Sixun Meets an Old Friend in Yanshan, Wang Xinyi Saves His Family with a Single Death, The Monastic Letter forger Tricked's Wife, and Song Si Gong's Chaos at the Spirit-Evading Pavilion may be Song Dynasty storytelling texts; while Jiang Xingge Reunites with the Pearl Shirt, Yang Bao's Extraordinary Adventure in the State of Yue, Zheng Huichen Reports Injustice from the Mulberry Grove, and Jin Yuni Slaps the Unfeeling Lover may be Ming Dynasty works (including Feng Menglong's). The era of the remaining stories is difficult to determine.