A History of Novel Manuscripts - Rare and Secret Books: Gleaning Gold

Author: Ouyang Daifa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1994-05-01
Features: Another feature of A History of Quanben Fiction is its effort to comprehensively review quanben and quasi-quanben fiction from various periods while highlighting key points, achieving a balance between history and analysis. In the past, due to the difficulty of accessing rare and isolated manuscripts, scholarly works on quanben and quasi-quanben fiction often had a narrow scope, frequently focusing only on Song and Yuan quanben, the "Three Words" (San Yan), and the "Two Shoots" (Er Pai), often glossing over The Twelve Pavilions and, more so, the quasi-quanben fiction of the decline period. If only a few points are emphasized while little attention is given to others, it becomes difficult to form a complete concept of the historical development of the genre. The author of A History of Quanben Fiction is aware of this, and in his book, he discusses many writers and works rarely mentioned by others, providing concise reviews. This makes the history feel like a vast river, gathering countless tributaries—large and small, long and short, clear and turbid—flowing through the riverbed, mixed with sand and silt. Reading such a book not only broadens one's horizons and increases knowledge but also provides a sense of historical authenticity. However, every history has its own important chapters, and A History of Quanben Fiction is no exception. This book highlights four key areas—Song and Yuan quanben, the "Three Words" (San Yan), the "Two Shoots" (Er Pai), and Li Yu's quasi-quanben creations—providing comprehensive and in-depth discussions with some novel insights. These chapters vividly reflect the author's historical perspective and artistic appreciation. Due to space constraints, I do not intend to provide a detailed review of these chapters; instead, I hope readers will "transform the pear" for themselves. I believe these chapters and this book will certainly be well-received by readers and recognized by the academic community.