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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... who'd tried at night to seduce him, but he refused, rejecting her. The woman left, feeling angry and resentful, and began slandering him to her husband, falsely accusing him of trying to seduce her. Her husband consequently took Xing ...
... who'd been behind in his rent, and was going to have to sell his daughter, so Gao gave him all the money in his pocket. Gao was the private friend of an old woman who was secretly a robber, so when the authorities caught on and moved ...
... . He was genuinely terrified. Just then, Zhou's son led several men holding weapons as they forced their way in, destroying doors and windows. They looked everywhere for Xijiu, who'd already hidden 1640 Strange Tales from Liaozhai.
Pu Songling. and windows. They looked everywhere for Xijiu, who'd already hidden himself by then. Other villagers viewed the outrage as entirely unjust; Chen Shijiu quickly gathered a dozen or so people to respond to the crisis, with the ...
... who'd been lying down, jumped up in shock upon hearing these words, his tears flowing freely. Fang and Tao drew near to console him until he was able to cease West Pond's Peach Blossoms: The Queen Mother of the West, premiere goddess of ...