Customer Reviews

Monkey: Folk Novel of China

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was expecting a mildly amusing but somewhat slow-going novel when I picked up Monkey for my class in Chinese Literature. But I could not put it down and finished the whole of it in two sittings! This book is as much of a page turner as any modern novel, using everything from cunning plot turns to end-of-chapter guises ("And if you don't know what became of them, you must listen to what is told in the next chapter.") to absolutely hilarious anecdotes. (I laughed aloud at the "Taoist Holy Water" episode!) An amazingly well-crafted novel with a very very fluid translation that makes it an absolute delight to read. Again: I could not put this book down! The fight scenes were also spectacular...[still panting, having just finished the book]...you must read this book! =)

Unlike most people, I didn't come to this book through the TV series - I have heard of it, but I've never seen it (although I do intend to try to find it now...).

This translation covers only sections of the Monkey/Journey to the West saga, but what there is of it conveys well the flavour of the tale without outstaying its welcome. The plot, such as it is, revolves around the priest Tripitaka and his disciples (including Monkey), who have been charged to journey to the West and return with Buddhist scriptures for the enlightenment of China.

The story can, at times, be distinctly difficult to get your head around; superficially at least, it's little more than a succession of episodes involving bizarre monsters being defeated with elaborate magical powers. There is, however, plenty of humour - generally farcical in nature, although occasionally quite dry - and the bickering of the main characters is frequently entertaining. The bureaucratic nature of heaven, in which spirits and deities are assigned strictly hierarchical posts - with salaries! - is amusing regardless of how much you know of Chinese history and society.

However, many of the Buddhist and Taoist elements may be confusing to readers unfamiliar with the basic concepts. Some of the episodes rely quite heavily on outcomes grounded in, say, the workings of karma or the achievement of enlightenment - although most do conclude with Monkey and friends beating up the monsters in question, frequently with the spiritual aid of Kuan-yin and other divinities. But I do suspect that there are allusions and layers I'm missing...

To paraphrase the end-of-chapter refrain, if you want to know whether Monkey and his companions succeed on their quest, you'll have to read the book!

are mine exactly. When I read this book for my Chinese literature class this semester I couldn't put it down. Though it is abridged from 100 to 30 chapters, most of what is removed is not as interesting. The best part about Arthur Waley's translation of "Journey to the West" (he renamed it "Monkey") is that he is one of the first to play up the very hilarious humor in the book, though there is of course a quite serious religious undertone to the whole thing. This is an amazingly funny story from the Ming Dynasty, which will not disappoint any fan of fantasy, peculiar humor or spiritual quests. A true classic of Asian literature.

I have been interested in Chinese literature for some time now, as an Asian American who does not speak the language. As a child I read an illustrated version of a chapter from the novel, and when I was older I watched the TV show based upon the novel, with my father who translated.

Reading this book I was glued to every word for the first 18 or so chapters, as I read about Monkey's development. However, after the disciples had all gathered together, the translation's appeal severely dipped. While still well written, only 30 of the original novel's 100 chapters were translated. Many of the most interesting adventures were lost in the abridgement. What was supposed to a be a long, difficult journey to India seemed more like a quick visit. While I realize this was done in order to keep the story from being too lengthy, I was rather disappointed. I suppose I will have to purchase another translation in order to read the remaining adventures.

I first recieved this book as a ninth birthday present from an adult friend who lived in Thailand, and upon reading its first 13 chapters the book quickly became my favourite fairy tale. Monkey's absurd arrogance is funny, but, by the same token, his optimism and self-assurance is infectious. He thinks nothing of travelling from heaven to hell and all points in between (Solving problems along the way by banging a few heads together) or of achieving immortality by stealing peaches. The story of how he got his great weapon (A staff used to hammer the Milky Way flat) by essentially being the worst guest in history to a much put-upon sea dragon, is hillarious. The book, suprisingly for one written 500 years ago in a distant land, contains some of the best-timed slapstick comedy I've ever come across. There is even one moment of true toilet humour that will have you reaching for oxygen, it's so funny. The pace kept up brilliantly; the final scene of the books first act, in which the forces of Heaven attempt to trap the Monkey King, has the air of a Keystone Kops episode by way of JRR Tolkein. However, there are also moments of touching and disturbing drama, as Monkey's personality gradually shifts from mischievious to almost evil, until he is imprisoned beneath a vast mountain and begins the long road to his redemption and eventual enlightement.

I haven't even talked about the main plot of this wonderful story, but it is better if you discover it for yourself. Enjoy!

Monkey (or the Monkey King or The Journey to the West) is one of the great epic novels in Chinese culture. Set in the 6th century, but not written in the current form until the 16th century (it was part of an oral tradition before that), the story is on the surface about the pilgrimmage of a Buddhist Priest, Hsuan Tsang, and his 3 disciples/side-kicks: Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy, as they journey to India to bring back sacred scrolls from Buddha. Arthur Waley has done a truly impressive job of translating, editing, and bringing to life a selection of the stories (30 from 100 original chapters) from the original Chinese book. He retains the complete first section about Monkey: How he was born from a stone, the trouble and mischief he caused on earth and in heaven, and how he reached the title of Sage, Equal of Heaven until getting imprisoned in a stone under a mountain. Waley then presents a selection of the adventures that the 4 cohorts encounter in their journey to find the scrolls. Each of the adventures follow the same theme of encounter a difficulty, i.e., some people in trouble, help the people to overcome the difficulty, usually through magical or supernatural powers, and then move on. By translating an abridgement, it prevents this repetitive style from dragging on, and it stays fresh. In addition, to the basic story line, one learns much about ancient Chinese culture, Buddhism, and some about Taoism. Moreover, the 4 pilgrims rather than being model characters are actually quite flawed, which makes the stories fascinating, because it always requires a group effort to surpass each hurdle. This is a wonderful book. Translating from contemporary Chinese to English is difficult enough, but from 16th century Chinese, Waley has done an amazing job.

I'm reading this entertaining book for the sixth time. I met it over thirty years ago in a college class, and now my own students read it in Literature of the Non-Western World.

Enjoy some music that somehow fits the book: Alan Hovhaness's Mountains and Rivers Without End.

What a wonderful translation of this classic text. Fans of Chineses mythology and the classic Japanese cult TV show will be enthralled by this text. The book appeals to all ages and mental capacities much like an episode of the Simpsons also does. There are many moral messages portrayed and lots of classically funny moments. Read with intense focus of the adventures of the holy fool Tripitaka, the over confident Monkey, the glutful Pigsy and the philosophical Sandy as they travel to India for the scriptures to save mankind. Enjoy!

I believe that this is one of the greatest books ever written.

Yes, I know that's quite a claim to make! But this book actually deserves it. It's accessible, it's a ripping yarn, and quite simply it's an absolute joy to read. All this it achieves while balancing profundity and pure playfulness with a lightness and deftness of touch that leaves modern fantasists like Tolkien trailing in its wake. I realise that many people will feel I've just committed sacrilege. But... Well, like I said before, this book genuinely deserves such high praise.

READ IT! Your life will be the richer for it.

If you're after something a little more concrete, here's a brief - and spoiler free - summary...

A 20th century translation of a 16th century Chinese classic, this book tells the story of one priest's journey from China to India to fetch Mahayana Buddhist scriptures. While it is very (and I do mean VERY) loosely based on an actual priest and an actual journey, that's really not the point. This is a richly mythologised account intended as fable, not history. Gods, demons, buddhas and bodhisattvas, and even Taoist immortals all get in on the action.

As with so many tales of pilgrimage, the physical journey becomes an allegory for something more. And because we are dealing with a Buddhist allegory, in this case the metaphor is for the journey towards enlightenment.

The only qualifier I want to insert is that this is a review of the Arthur Waley traslation of Monkey (or "Journey to The West" as it is known in China) in general. I have not seen the particular edition on sale here. I do, however, have one minor quibble about this edition: the subtitle "a folk novel of China" is highly misleading. This is no folk tale. It is a serious work of high culture - cleverly disguised as a fairy tale though it may be.

Incidentally, I do realize that much of what I've just said may make this book sound somewhat dry and ponderous. Religious allegory? Serious work of high culture? Doesn't exactly sound like fun reading, does it? Yet nothing could be further from the truth. From a less skilled author and translator, religious allegory may indeed be reduced to dry sermonizing. Not so here.

This book is, as I said in the beginning, an absolute joy to read.

Theo.

The original name of this story is Journey to the West. It is the Chinese equivalent of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Like Snow White or other beloved Western fairy tales, every Chinese child knows this epic story of the Monkey King and his companions' journey to the West to seek enlightenment. Along the way, these voyagers encounter demons, fairies and other fantastic characters.

I had heard this story many times when I was little and I am still enchanted by the story now that I am a parent. I highly recommend this book for both parents and children. Each chapter is a complete story so it's a great bedtime read.