Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 2The 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 second of 6 volumes. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 35
... ................................... 558 119. The Fox Concubine ........................................ 560 120. The Administrator of Thunder ........................ 567 121. The Gambling Charm ......................
... .................................... 695 146. A Concubine Beats the Thieves ....................... 697 147. Driving Out a Monster ................................... 699 148. The Sisters Switch Marriages ........................
... Concubine” (hu qie), while a magistrate who pressures those beneath him to fulfill his demands is reciprocally squeezed by parallel demands from those above him in “The Cricket” (cuzhi). But his stories also admonish readers to work ...
... concubine; by treating her with tender kindness, making her “part of the human world” after her having been a ghost for twenty years, Yang's love brings her back to life. In “Gengniang” (gengniang), the title character achieves revenge ...
... concubines, of whom there were more than ten, he treated like dirt. Huang was lavished like a king with feasts and gifts; he was also granted large amounts of gold. Six months later, the governor fell ill. Huang knew that the governor ...