Master TungÕs Western Chamber Romance [Paperback]

Li-li Ch'en (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231101198 | ISBN-13: 978-0231101196 | Publication Date: April 15, 1994 0

This twelfth century masterpiece suffered virtual oblivion from the late fourteenth century until 1912, when it was rediscovered by the great sinologist Wang Kuo-wei who helped restore it to its preeminent position in Chinese literature. Comprising 184 prose passages and 5,263 lines of verse to be narrated and sung by a performing singer-storyteller, it is an elaboration of the T'ang dynasty love story, The Story of Ying-ying, by Yuan Chen (779-831).

Editorial Reviews

Review

Complete and accurate, lively and colorful. This is a vital text for understanding the evolution of the prosimetric form in China since the Sung period. -- Victor Mair University of Pennsylvania

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231101198
• ISBN-13: 978-0231101196
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Historical, Racy!, March 22, 2001

By 

Xoe Li Lu "xoelilu" (Sea Girt, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Master TungÕs Western Chamber Romance (Paperback)

Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance is a lovely example of the vernacular story in traditional Chinese Literature. Written in stunning verse interspersed with prose, the story chronicles the seemingly ill-fated love affair of the scholar Chang and his love, Ying-Ying. The pair endure many of the same hardships as modern couples: miscommunication, forbidding mothers, and family influence among them. In addition to the lovers' travails, the story includes intrigue, an attempted attack by rebels, and deception, all told lilting verse and clever prose. The characters are well rounded for an older piece of Chinese literature, and story flows easily. Despite being several hundred years old, this piece from the 12th century has endured time and is still a lively, interesting and relatable story today.