Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 5The weird and whimsical short stories in Strange Tales from Liaozhai show their author, Pu Songling (1640-1715), to be both an explorer of the macabre, like Edgar Allan Poe, and a moralist, like Aesop. In this first complete translation of the collection's 494 stories into English, readers will encounter supernatural creatures, natural disasters, magical aspects of Buddhist and Daoist spirituality, and a wide range of Chinese folklore. Annotations are provided to clarify unfamiliar references or cultural allusions, and introductory essays have been included to explain facets of Pu Songling's work and to provide context for some of the unique qualities of his uncanny tales. This is the fifth of 6 volumes. |
From inside the book
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... immortals. For this first complete translation of Strange Tales from Liaozhai into English, I have attempted to follow Pu Songling's syntax, punctuation, and phrasings faithfully, providing annotations for the reader when he makes ...
... immortals, those who have transcended human limitations, “have no dreams, because they have no desires or wishes” (Eberhard 86). The implied gulf here, between those inhabiting the mortal world, and those who are no longer subject to ...
... immortality, becoming enlightened, all depends on this; Anything else is vain, running to extremes. (1986: 118) Like Pu Songling, Zhang Boduan turned to other pursuits following repeated failures to pass the imperial civil service ...
... immortals understand the importance of fostering the qi (气), and “keep their bodies in the world” (1987:29), like scholar Jin, who's eventually made an immortal thanks to his relationship with Xia, daughter of the Golden Dragon King ...
... immortals: frequent and spontaneous dancing (helping to prevent blockage in the body's meridians which would ... immortality” (Sterckx 179). This metaphorical interpretation of natural occurrences helps us to see why alchemical ...