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. |
From inside the book
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... drinking game—till he's defeated at it by a young man who afterwards changes into an owl, not only embarrassing him in front of the magistrates, but demonstrating that higher powers have seen through his bravado. 4 Stories of this sort ...
... drink together, then at nightfall, “they made love and slept in the same bed, like husband and wife.” Pu is far from an untrammeled optimist, however, when it comes to the subject of women as helpmates and problem solvers, reflecting ...
... drink. The night passed, and when Ma came to pay Tao a visit the next morning, the new flowers that he'd just planted were already a chi tall. Thinking this strange indeed, he earnestly begged Tao to explain his technique to him. “It's ...
... drinking. He happened to be passing by Ma's house, so Ma sent Tao out to invite him in to drink with them. In absolute accord, Zeng and Tao gleefully drank uninhibitedly, and Ma was sorry that they hadn't met earlier. From morning until ...
... drinking with even greater abandon, constantly sending invitations for Zeng to join him. Hence they became inseparable. On the day of the Flower Fairy Festival, Zeng showed up with two servants carrying a large jar of herb-infused ...