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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... wanted to die. Because he was far away from his family, Lu put his daughter's coffin in the monastery where Zhang was studying. Zhang performed religious obeisance at the coffin as if the girl was a deity, always burning incense in the ...
... wanted to take her home with him. The girl worried that with her tiny, weak feet, she wouldn't be able to undertake a long journey. Zhang begged her to let him carry her, and with a smile, the girl agreed. It was like carrying an infant ...
... wanted to make love to the girl, but she was already asleep and though he nudged her, she didn't respond. Hence he put his arms around her and went to sleep. At dawn, he awoke sober and felt his chest touching something icy cold; he ...
... wanted to shoot their arrows at him, but Hu prevented them. The host approached and took Hu by the hand, urging him to enter his house, and had wine set out so they could enjoy themselves. Calmly the host said, “You're a wise individual ...
... wanted to eat or money if he'd ask for some. The monk, however, closed his eyes and didn't move. The crowd shook him and kept talking to him. The monk became angry, drew a short sword from his patched robe, and sliced open his belly ...