Many Faces of Mulian - The Precious Scrolls of Late Imperial China (Paperback)

The story of Mulian rescuing his mother's soul from hell has evolved as a narrative over several centuries in China, especially in the baojuan (precious scrolls) genre. This genre, a prosimetric narrative in vernacular language, first appeared around the fourteenth century and endures as a living tradition. In exploring the evolution of the Mulian story, Rostislav Berezkin illuminates changes in the literary and religious characteristics of the genre. He also examines material from other forms of Chinese literature and from modern performances of baojuan, tracing their transformation from tools of Buddhist proselytizing to sectarian propaganda to folk ritualized storytelling. Ultimately, he reveals the special features of baojuan as a type of performance literature that had its foundations in multiple literary traditions.

General

Imprint:	University of Washington Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	November 2017
Authors:	Rostislav Berezkin
Foreword by:	Victor H. Mair
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade / Trade
Pages:	272
ISBN-13:	978-0-295-74252-6
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > Classical, early & medieval Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General
LSN:	0-295-74252-6
Barcode:	9780295742526

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