Stories from a Ming Collection: The Art of the Chinese Storyteller

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The popularity of the Chinese storyteller goes back to the marketplace of the Tx2019;ang dynasty, but the familiar figure came into its own in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This selection of stories from Feng Menglongx2019;s collection, Stories Old and New (originally published in 1624), includes representative types of the storytellerx2019;s traditional art. x93;The Pearl-Sewn Shirtx201D; is a cautionary romance describing the tragedy of a broken marriage; the heroic biography, which depicts a neglected man of high worth gradually receiving recognition, is represented by x93;Wine and Dumplings"; an authentic twelfth-century forerunner of the detective story is found in x93;The Canary Murders." The other tales concern traffic in the supernatural, didactic admonitions to observe morality in sex and loyalty in friendship, and realistic accounts of the meanness and corruption of official life. Also includes x93;The Lady Who Was a Beggar,x201D; x93;The Journey of the Corpse,x201D; x93;The Story of Wu Pao-an,x201D; and x93;The Fairyx2019;s Rescue.x201D;