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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... suddenly settled out of court, leaving the befuddled younger brother stranded, without traveling expenses to return home. Fortunately, there are also opportunities for character interactions with ghosts to yield positive results despite ...
... suddenly disappears, leaving behind nothing but “piles of ash from grass torches.” Yu Chen, who's taken to be a scholar in “Suqiu,” turns out to be a silverfish, while the sister of the title character turns out to be a giant python ...
... suddenly become rich,” added Gu, “but you're also going to marry a beautiful woman.” In the end, Xing just couldn't believe anything Gu had told him. As he turned to leave, Gu insisted, “Go on, go on, then after you've tested my ...
... suddenly they received word of her from Xing, amazed beyond their fondest hopes, then immediately obtained a horse and carriage and rode off. They paid Xing a hundred taels, and returned home with their daughter. Xing embraced Zhu as ...
... suddenly sensed a rare fragrance pervading the room, and discovered orchids in a pot there, with their arrowshaped leaves just like the ones he'd seen. Since he began to suspect that Yaguan had simply stolen them, he questioned him ...