In this third volume of a planned five-volume series, David Roy
provides a complete and annotated translation of the famous "Chin
P'ing Mei," an anonymous sixteenth-century Chinese novel that
focuses on the domestic life of His-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly
mobile merchant who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines.
This work, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a
landmark in the development of narrative art--not only from a
specifically Chinese perspective but also in a world-historical
context.
Written during the second half of the sixteenth century and
first published in 1618, "The Plum in the Golden Vase" is noted for
its surprisingly modern technique. With the possible exception of
"The Tale of Genji" (ca. 1010) and "Don Quixote" (1605, 1615),
there is no earlier work of prose fiction of equal sophistication
in world literature. Although its importance in the history of
Chinese narrative has long been recognized, the technical
virtuosity of the author, which is more reminiscent of the Dickens
of "Bleak House," the Joyce of "Ulysses," or the Nabokov of
"Lolita" than anything in earlier Chinese fiction, has not yet
received adequate recognition. This is partly because all of the
existing European translations are either abridged or based on an
inferior recension of the text. This translation and its annotation
aim to faithfully represent and elucidate all the rhetorical
features of the original in its most authentic form and thereby
enable the Western reader to appreciate this Chinese masterpiece at
its true worth.
Replete with convincing portrayals of the darker side of human
nature, it should appeal to anyone interested in a compelling
story, compellingly told.
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