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==Theme==
==Theme==
While ghosts, foxes, immortals and demons appear to be the main characters, these are used to focus on the real world, illustrating the author's ideas of society and government. The author criticized the corruption and unjustness in the society and sympathized with the poor. Four main themes can be discerned in this collection.
While ghosts, foxes, immortals and demons appear to be the main characters, these are used to focus on the real world, illustrating the author's ideas of society and government. The author criticized corruption and unjustness in society and sympathized with the poor. Four main themes can be discerned in this collection.


First, a plaint against social inequality and injustice. The author portrayed many officials and rich people committing crimes and escaping punishment due to their possession of privilege. This theme can be found in stories, such as “The Cricket”, “Xi Fangping”, and “Shang Sanguan”.
First, a plaint against social inequality and injustice. The author portrayed many officials and rich people committing crimes and escaping punishment due to their possession of privilege. This theme can be found in stories such as “The Cricket”, “Xi Fangping”, and “Shang Sanguan”.


Secondly, disclosure of the corrupt examination system at the time. Because Songling had taken the [[imperial exams]], he had real experience of their unfairness. Many students cheated and bribed examiners or the officers who graded their papers. This education system destroyed the minds and creativity of scholars. Stories such as “Kao San Sheng”, “Ya Tou”, and “Scholar Wang Zi-an” contain this theme.
Secondly, disclosure of the corrupt examination system of the time. Because Songling had taken the [[imperial exams]], he had real experience of their unfairness. Many students cheated and bribed examiners or the officers who graded their papers. This education system destroyed the minds and creativity of scholars. Stories such as “Kao San Sheng”, “Ya Tou”, and “Scholar Wang Zi-an” contain this theme.


The third theme is admiration of pure and faithful love between the poor scholars and powerless women. Many stories were about love between kind and beautiful female ghosts and poor students. Attractive and kind-hearted female ghosts or foxes can be found in stories like “Lian Xiang”, “Yingning” and “Nie Xiaoqian”.
The third theme is admiration of pure and faithful love between poor scholars and powerless women. Many stories were about love between kind and beautiful female ghosts and poor students. Attractive and kind-hearted female ghosts or foxes can be found in stories like “Lian Xiang”, “Yingning” and “Nie Xiaoqian”.


The fourth theme is criticism of immoral behavior and an attempt to educate by means of these stories. The author embedded some moral standards and Taoist principles into the stories, making them like parables. Such stories include “Painted Skin” and “The Taoist of Lao Mountain”.
The fourth theme is criticism of immoral behavior and an attempt to educate readers by means of these stories. The author embedded moral standards and Taoist principles in the stories, making them like parables. Such stories include “Painted Skin” and “The Taoist of Lao Mountain”.


==Translations==
==Translations==

Revision as of 06:53, 19 October 2012

Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
File:Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.jpg
Cover of the translated version from Tuttle Publishing
AuthorPu Songling
Original title聊齋誌異
TranslatorHerbert A. Giles, John Minford, etc.
LanguageClassical Chinese
GenreFantasy short stories
Publication date
1740
Publication placeChina
Published in English
1880
Media typeScribal copies/Print

Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio or Liaozhai Zhiyi (also Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio or Strange Tales of Liaozhai, simplified Chinese: 聊斋志异; traditional Chinese: 聊齋誌異; pinyin: Liáozhāi zhìyì) is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling in Classical Chinese[1] during the early Qing Dynasty.

Pu's stories, based on the Chinese tradition of oral storytelling, featured characters such as magical foxes, ghosts, scholars, court officials, Taoist exorcists and beasts. In these stories, the boundary between reality and the odd or fantastic is blurred, sometimes with satirical results as ghosts and spirits prove to be bold and trustworthy, while humans are weak, indecisive and easily manipulated. The stories reflect the author's own disillusionment with the society of his time.

The stories differ broadly in length, with the shortest under a page in length.

Publication history

The compilation was first circulated in manuscript form before it was published posthumously. Sources differ in their account of the year of publication. One source claims the Strange Tales were published by Pu's grandson in 1740. However, the earliest surviving print version was printed in 1766 in Hangzhou.

Pu is believed to have completed the majority of the tales sometime in 1679, though he could have added entries as late as 1707.

Theme

While ghosts, foxes, immortals and demons appear to be the main characters, these are used to focus on the real world, illustrating the author's ideas of society and government. The author criticized corruption and unjustness in society and sympathized with the poor. Four main themes can be discerned in this collection.

First, a plaint against social inequality and injustice. The author portrayed many officials and rich people committing crimes and escaping punishment due to their possession of privilege. This theme can be found in stories such as “The Cricket”, “Xi Fangping”, and “Shang Sanguan”.

Secondly, disclosure of the corrupt examination system of the time. Because Songling had taken the imperial exams, he had real experience of their unfairness. Many students cheated and bribed examiners or the officers who graded their papers. This education system destroyed the minds and creativity of scholars. Stories such as “Kao San Sheng”, “Ya Tou”, and “Scholar Wang Zi-an” contain this theme.

The third theme is admiration of pure and faithful love between poor scholars and powerless women. Many stories were about love between kind and beautiful female ghosts and poor students. Attractive and kind-hearted female ghosts or foxes can be found in stories like “Lian Xiang”, “Yingning” and “Nie Xiaoqian”.

The fourth theme is criticism of immoral behavior and an attempt to educate readers by means of these stories. The author embedded moral standards and Taoist principles in the stories, making them like parables. Such stories include “Painted Skin” and “The Taoist of Lao Mountain”.

Translations

  • Strange Tales from Liaozhai (tr. Sidney L. Sondergard). Jain Pub Co., 2008. ISBN 978-0-89581-001-4.
  • Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (tr. John Minford). London: Penguin, 2006. 562 pages. ISBN 0-14-044740-7.
  • Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio (Zhang Qingnian, Zhang Ciyun and Yang Yi). Beijing: People's China Publishing, 1997. ISBN 7-80065-599-7.
  • Strange Tales from Make-do Studio (Denis C. & Victor H. Mair). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1989.
  • Strange Tales of Liaozhai (Lu Yunzhong, Chen Tifang, Yang Liyi, and Yang Zhihong). Hong Kong: Commercial Press, 1982.
  • Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisure (George Soulie). London: Constable, 1913.
  • Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (tr. Herbert A. Giles). London: T. De La Rue, 1880.[2] ISBN 1-4212-4855-7.
  • Songling Pu (1880). Strange stories from a Chinese studio, Volume 2. Vol. VOL. II. PRINTED BY THOMAS DE LA RUE AND CO., BUNHILL ROW, LONDON: T. De la Rue & co. Retrieved March 21, 2012. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help) LONDON : THOS, DE LA RUE & CO. 1120, BUNHILL ROW. Translated by Herbert Allen Giles, Original from the New York Public Library, Digitized Apr 3, 2008

Reception

Franz Kafka admired some of the tales in translation; in a letter to Felice Bauer (Jan 16, 1913) he described them as "exquisite". Jorge Luis Borges also strongly admired the story "The Tiger Guest", writing a prologue for it to appear in his Library of Babel, a collection of writings on his favourite books.[citation needed]

Adaptations

Liaozhai Zhiyi has inspired many Chinese film adaptations, including those by King Hu (Painted Skin), Gordon Chan (Painted Skin)Ching Siu-tung (A Chinese Ghost Story series) and the Taiwanese director Li Han-Hsiang.[3]

See also

Further reading

  • Chang, Chun-shu and Shelley Hsueh-lun Chang (1998) Redefining History: Ghosts, Spirits, and Human Society in P'u Sung-ling's World, 1640-1715. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-10822-0
  • Zeitlin, Judith T. (1993). Historian of the Strange: Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, xii, 332p. ISBN 0-8047-2085-1.

Footnotes

  1. ^ However, the language is influenced by Shandong topolects of early Mandarin Chinese. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1452.
  2. ^ Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers. p. 126.
  3. ^ Nepstad, Peter (September 1, 2000). "Ghost Lovers and Fox Spirits". The Illuminated Lantern.
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