Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

by Songling, Pu; Minford, John; Minford, John

• ISBN13: 9780140447408
• ISBN10: 0140447407
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-31
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640 - 1715) are exquisite and amusing miniatures that are regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fiction. With their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems. Here a Taoist monk conjures up a magical pear tree, a scholar recounts his previous incarnations, a woman out - foxes the fox - spirit that possesses her, a child bride gives birth to a thimble - sized baby, a ghostly city appears out of nowhere, and a heartless daughter - in - law is turned into a pig. In his tales of humans coupling with shape - shifting spirits, bizarre phenomena, haunted buildings and enchanted objects, Pu Songling pushes back the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains.

Author Biography

Pu Songling (1640-û1715) was one of the most celebrated Chinese writers from the Qing dynasty.

John Minford is dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at the Open University of Hong Kong. He has published widely on Chinese literature and translated numerous works, including the Penguin Classics edition of Sun-tzu-'s The Art of War.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	xi
Note on the Text, Translation and Illustrations	xxxii
Note on Names and Pronunciation	xxxvii
STRANGE TALES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO
Homunculus	3	(3)
An Otherworldly Examination	6	(4)
Living Dead	10	(5)
Spitting Water	15	(3)
Talking Pupils	18	(5)
The Painted Wall	23	(5)
The Troll	28	(3)
Biting a Ghost	31	(3)
Catching a Fox	34	(3)
The Monster in the Buckwheat	37	(3)
The Haunted House	40	(3)
Stealing a Peach	43	(4)
Growing Pears	47	(3)
The Taoist Priest of Mount Lao	50	(5)
The Monk of Changqing	55	(4)
The Snake-Charmer	59	(5)
The Wounded Python	64	(2)
The Fornicating Dog	66	(1)
The God of Hail	67	(3)
The Golden Goblet	70	(6)
Grace and Pine	76	(11)
A Most Exemplary Monk	87	(3)
Magical Arts	90	(5)
Wild Dog	95	(3)
Past Lives	98	(4)
Fox in the Bottle	102	(2)
Wailing Ghosts	104	(3)
Thumb and Thimble	107	(2)
Scorched Moth the Taoist	109	(3)
Friendship Beyond the Grave	112	(6)
Karmic Debts	118	(3)
Ritual Cleansing	121	(3)
The Door God and the Thief	124	(2)
The Painted Skin	126	(7)
The Merchant's Son	133	(8)
A Passion for Snakes	141	(1)
A Latter-Day Buddha	142	(1)
Fox Enchantment	143	(7)
Eating Stones	150	(2)
The Laughing Girl	152	(16)
The Magic Sword and the Magic Bag	168	(12)
The Devoted Mouse	180	(2)
An Earthquake	182	(3)
Snake Island	185	(4)
Generosity	189	(4)
The Giant Fish	193	(1)
The Giant Turtle	194	(3)
Making Animals	197	(3)
The Little Mandarin	200	(2)
Dying Together	202	(3)
The Alligator's Revenge	205	(1)
Sheep Skin	206	(3)
Sharp Sword	209	(2)
Lotus Fragrance	211	(18)
King of the Nine Mountains	229	(6)
The Fox of Fenzhou	235	(3)
Silkworm	238	(12)
Vocal Virtuosity	250	(4)
Fox as Prophet	254	(4)
This Transformation	258	(3)
Fox Control	261	(3)
Dragon Dormant	264	(2)
Cut Sleeve	266	(11)
The Girl from Nanking	277	(3)
Twenty Years a Dream	280	(10)
Mynah Bird	290	(3)
Lamp Dog	293	(3)
Doctor Five Hides	296	(2)
Butterfly	298	(6)
The Black Beast	304	(2)
The Stone Bowl	306	(5)
A Fatal Joke	311	(2)
Raining Money	313	(3)
Twin Lanterns	316	(4)
Ghost Foiled, Fox Put to Rout	320	(4)
Frog Chorus	324	(2)
Performing Mice	326	(2)
The Clay Scholar	328	(3)
Flowers of Illusion	331	(5)
Dwarf	336	(2)
Bird	338	(10)
Princess Lotus	348	(8)
The Girl in Green	356	(4)
Duck Justice	360	(2)
Big Sneeze	362	(2)
Steel Shirt	364	(2)
Fox Trouble	366	(4)
Lust Punished by Foxes	370	(3)
Mountain City	373	(3)
A Cure for Marital Strife	376	(5)
A Prank	381	(2)
Adultery and Enlightenment	383	(4)
Up His Sleeve	387	(10)
Silver Above Beauty	397	(2)
The Antique Lute	399	(6)
Waiting Room for Death	405	(3)
Rouge	408	(13)
The Southern Wutong-Spirit	421	(6)
Sunset	427	(7)
The Male Concubine	434	(2)
Coral	436	(10)
Mutton Fat and Pig Blood	446	(3)
Dung-Beetle Dumplings	449	(3)
Stir-Fry	452	(1)
Author's Preface	453	(15)
Glossary	468	(18)
Maps	486	(4)
Finding List	490	(1)
Further Reading	491	(8)
Notes	499