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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... There it is! Right there, there, there!” While I saw nothing as I looked down at the shadows in the ice, the phenomenologist in me recognized that my fellow observer had just had a conscious brush, however subjective and fleeting, with ...
... There's the title character of “Traveler Tong” (tong ke), who proves to be a supernatural being when he suddenly disappears, leaving behind nothing but “piles of ash from grass torches.” Yu Chen, who's taken to be a scholar in “Suqiu ...
... Zhang chose to pursue more esoteric studies, including the most vaunted outcome of successful Daoist contemplation and cultivation: immortality. 1 xx There's a curious dual perspective displayed by the individuals appearing.
... there's a kind of fearful respect and awe reflected by such characters, in recognition that the immortals are genuinely no longer human in their responses; thus, for example, they “have no dreams, because they have no desires or wishes ...
... there had been a neighbor woman who'd tried at night to seduce him, but he refused, rejecting her. The woman left ... there's gold buried not far from here.” Xing again considered Gu's words ridiculous. “Not only will you suddenly ...