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 53
... young man, a propensity that comes in handy later when his survival and advancement in the court of the Dragon Lord ... woman, though not without ample historical precedents—so the reader will find it believable that she easily masters ...
... girl said nothing, but spent all day in bed. Lu was worried about her, and thought about taking a look at Zhang, so he pretended to take a stroll outside town till he came across Zhang. When he saw that Zhang was a young man, he was ...
... young willow, the other short and considerably younger; the pair were incomparably lovely. The Daoist then directed them to sing, to encourage his guests to drink more. The younger girl beat the rhythm and sang while the older one ...
... younger brother came together to accompany the bride, both gentlemen proving to be skilled conversationalists and ... younger brother, and their old mother sometimes came to visit the girl, and everyone saw them appear at those times. 87 ...
... woman who came to borrow some coals for her fire spotted Su sitting stiffly, all alone, and spoke to her briefly ... young man entered, handsome and refined, greeting the group and expressing his thanks to them. The neighbors knew by rumor ...