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
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... suddenly transported to the underworld to discover that they have been recruited either for specific positions within the underworld bureaucracy, or to serve as local deities in the mortal world. It's common for such characters to have ...
... suddenly raised his head— and there was the girl wearing a smile, standing in the lantern's light. Startled, Zhang jumped up and asked what had happened. The girl replied, “I could sense your feelings towards me, and I couldn't help but ...
... suddenly dropped out of the sky: it was more than a zhang tall, its body several chi wide; it waved a sword as big ... sudden the fox soldiers appeared, firing arrows wildly as they came; one of them hit him in the buttocks. Terribly ...
... suddenly he went out the south gate of the city and laid down beside the road like a dead man, without moving for three days. The townspeople were afraid that he was starving to death -H.L'dVfi'lO|-|\ ..'|I|'||»| I II-. llllil II I' I ...
... Suddenly a woman ran in, even though his door wasn't open; he knew in his heart that she was a fox, but he was excited about the prospect of making love to her. She just loosened her outer garment, and he abruptly entered her. The fox ...