This remarkable collection excerpts and reproduces some of China's most significant and eclectic literary works created between the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 through the era of China under Mao Zedong, which ended with his death in 1976. Expertly rendered into English by noted China expert Sidney Shapiro, these classic works are noted for their unique prose and subtle characterizations which at once dispel the notion of China as outside and mysterious. Instead, we are drawn into the strangeness of a distant land and different culture, where human qualities seem remarkably familiar. This journey through the world of Chinese literature is framed according to four distinct periods: "Feudal Fiction" is represented by "Outlaws of the Marsh", the great picaresque classic novel. "War and Revolution" reflects the uprising of an outraged people against domestic oppression and foreign invasion. "Transition" graphically describes China's intellectual ferment and ethical conflicts in an era of revolution, while "Satiric Verse" gives a glimpse of the bitter, sardonic prose of the twentieth century. This work is an ideal introduction to China's finest fiction and its vivid illumination of Chinese history.
