Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) [Paperback]

Moss Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library | Publication Date: July 12, 1980

This fresh and elegant translation of 100 tales from 25 centuries of Chinese literature opens up a magical world far from our customary haunts. Illustrated with woodcuts.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Chinese (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (July 12, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394739949
• ISBN-13: 978-0394739946
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection worthy of the Grimm Brothers, June 16, 2000

By 

Stephen Arkanell "cjm" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful collection of simple wonder stories and fables from China, most of very ancient origin. There are even some from the Taoist master Chuang Tzu. They are all very brief, in typical Chinese fashion, very direct to the point, and therefore very leisurely reading. Very reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers, Charles Perault and even Aesop, they also give us a rare and fascinating look at Taoist folklore, for most of these stories come for Taoist tellers speaking out against the Confucian way of thinking. Filled with magic crickets, dragons, and a few ghosts, these make for exotic bedtime stories suitable for all ages.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unique and special, August 12, 2006

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) (Paperback)

I just had to come in here and pen this to counterbalance the so-and-so who assigned this opus but a single star. The stories are often short, but that should not detract from them, nor should the simplicity of some. They are, after all, CHINESE. The culture is different; the values are different; the symbology is different. I found the collection delightfully refreshing, and I particularly found some of the pieces extremely funny. This book is a definite keeper that the reader will remember for some time--both for its difference from the common European traditions and for its similarities thereto.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PG-13, January 6, 2007

By 

cutris (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) (Paperback)

I just got this book and I'm writing on my experience last night, when I began reading a story to my daughter. In the course of three pages, a woman was cut up "inch by inch starting at the feet"; a man's head was cut off; in hell he was tortured with "molten bronze, the iron rod, pounding, grinding, the fire pit, the boiling cauldron, the hill of knives, the forest of swords"; as further punishment he was reborn as female; as a child, she fell into a fire and could get "no relief from the pain"; later her husband smashes her baby's head against a rock.

Browsing more today I haven't found anything approaching that level of violence, just my bad luck perhaps. The stories are fascinating, and the introduction is a wonderful explanation for Taoism and the tension with Confusianism that is reflected in this anthology.