Shandong Fragmentary Literary History. Novel Volume

Author: Wang Hengzhan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This book is part of the series Shandong Regional Literary History. The ancient land of Qi and Lu was a cradle of culture, where prominent figures like Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi, as well as thinkers such as Confucius and Mencius, emerged. The region is rich in cultural heritage. This series provides a relatively comprehensive collection and research of ancient literary creations in Shandong, offering significant reference value for regional cultural researchers, as well as for undergraduate and graduate students in literature. In terms of material selection, this book highlights three key areas:
First, works by Shandong-native writers, such as The Miscellaneous Records of the Western Ridge by Duan Chengshi, The Spring and Autumn Conversations by Wang Pi, The Records of Wang Wen Zheng by Wang Zeng, Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, The Love Story of Emperor Sui Yang by Qi Dongye, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling, and The Little Red Bean by Zeng Yandong. These works can be considered authentic Shandong novels and truly reflect the achievements of Shandong's literary creation. The inclusion of some writers and works in this book also reflects the new accomplishments in ancient novel research in recent years. For example, Luo Guanzhong, whose place of origin has been a subject of academic debate, is now widely believed by scholars to be from Dongping, Shandong. Therefore, the author has unhesitatingly included Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the history of Shandong novels.
Second, works by Shandong-native writers who lived or visited Shandong for extended periods. These writers' works help fill gaps in the history of Shandong novels, so some of their works have also been included based on the needs of the novel history. For instance, The Legend of the Immortal Women by Lü Xiong. Although Lü Xiong was from Kunshan, Jiangsu, he lived in Shandong for a time while accompanying Yu Chenglong, and the novel tells the story of Tang Sai'er, a female leader of a peasant uprising in Shandong. Thus, it has been included in the history of Shandong novels.
Third, novels set in Shandong as their backdrop. For example, the social novel The Golden Lotus (Jin Ping Mei), though the author remains controversial, is set in Qinghe and Linqing in Shandong, so it has been classified under the history of Shandong novels. Others like The Life Story of Confucius and The Awakening of the World also fall into this category. Additionally, to ensure comprehensiveness, this book provides necessary introductions to sequels of some well-known Shandong novels, such as The Dream of the Golden Pavilion.