Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 6The 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 sixth of 6 volumes. |
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... one out of seventy officials who might be considered worthy of his title in “A Junior Official” (yiyuan guan). Describing the vice magistrate as “an upright man who couldn't be swayed by flattery,” xviii Strange Tales from Liaozhai.
Pu Songling. as “an upright man who couldn't be swayed by flattery,” Pu reveals that he was adjudicating in a pervasively corrupt atmosphere: “At that time there were plenty of objectionable practices and corruption was common, and ...
... couldn't be obtained in the north. With gleeful anticipation, Ma quickly put together the things he'd need for a trip, then accompanied his guest to Jinling. The guest did everything he could to track down the unusual chrysanthemums ...
... couldn't bring himself to agree, but he proceeded to select a date for the ceremonial welcoming of the bride into his family. After Huangying married Ma, she had a doorway placed in the wall around Ma's property, so she could walk ...
... couldn't bear to part with even one of them. During his lifetime, Lang's father had once written out a copy of the Encouragement of Learning, which he then pasted up for its words of wisdom, and Lang Yuzhu recited it every day; he ...