";s:4:"text";s:5242:" With every story I read I found myself immersed in the rich life and thought of Ming dynasty China. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling is a collection of 104 Chinese tales, which were written more than 400 years ago. Some of the best Pu Songling stories are included, I think all the famous Fox stories are in this one. The brilliance of Strange Tales is not so much in flights of imagination, though there are plenty of those, but in the controlled and measured style in which they are told.
"The Painted Skin" is a short story by the Chinese writer Pu Songling collected in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio in 1740. There's nothing here that made me think "woah that's amazing" hence the 4 star but I enjoyed reading every single story here - there's a lot of cool ideas and overall there's an amazing and absorbing atmosphere that really takes you into the world of the Chinese studio.Lots of fun stories. Pu’s universe is both repetitive and diverse, imaginative and humdrum, erotic yet unadorned, each story a sip of a very special vintage, which, as before, will no doubt be deservingly enjoyed for the next 300 years or more. I’ve not been studying with the Read Chinese series, but it definitely has the best supplemental reading material oThis book was most excellent. A wonderful "dipping into" book that I can read time and again.
They're incredibly strange, and the style is very slice-of-life (my favourite). Classical Chinese literature obviously does not consist solely of the Six Great Novels, and I wanted my reading project to also include some shorter (but not necessarily minor) books. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. ""Read these tales properly, and they will make you strong and brave; read them in the wrong way, and they will possess you. The stories were quite short, some only a paragraph in length, and the longest ones being perhaps 4-5 pages. A couple of stories were distressing, I must admit. 1880, T. De la Rue & co. in English bbbb. A box of candy to sample, even if some of the flavors get repeated often.Pu Songling (simplified Chinese: 蒲松龄; traditional Chinese: 蒲松齡; pinyin: Pú Sōnglíng; Wade–Giles: P'u Sung-ling, June 5, 1640—February 25, 1715) was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.Pu Songling (simplified Chinese: 蒲松龄; traditional Chinese: 蒲松齡; pinyin: Pú Sōnglíng; Wade–Giles: P'u Sung-ling, June 5, 1640—February 25, 1715) was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.“复留，负笈而归。后问僧人，无复他异。 咬 鬼 沈麟生云：其友某翁者，夏月昼寝，朦胧间见一女子搴帘入，以白布裹首，缞服麻裙，向内室去，疑邻妇访内人者。又”“太白尝言，其曾祖肄业于南山柳沟寺。麦秋旋里，经旬始返。启斋门，则案上尘生，窗间丝满，命仆粪除，至晚始觉清爽可坐。乃拂榻陈卧具，扁扉就枕，月色已满窗矣。辗转移时，万簌俱寂。忽闻风声隆隆，山门豁然作响，窃谓寺僧失扃。注念间，风声渐近居庐，俄而房门辟矣。大疑之，思未定，声已入屋。又有靴声铿铿然，渐傍寝门。心” Historical figures and events, often battles that took place in the previous dynasty, are dropped into the stories. Strange Tales has made its mark on the literary canon: precise Chinese tales of perfect poise and polish, not a single word wasted. Pu likes to get into the nitty-gritty quickly, though always in his hallmark matter-of-fact style. The most notable theme is sex with fox spirits although there's a good variety of stuff too, with varying morals and conclusions even when the set-up is pretty similar. Unlike ghost stories in the western tradition, these tales are designed to engage, entertain and enlighten the reader; not scare us. "Read these tales properly, and they will make you strong and brave; read them in the wrong way, and they will possess you. Causes are followed by effects, but not in the same manner as in the natural or everyday human world. The stories are short and most of them are about love between family, friends and lovers. Of the 431 pieces collected here, some are short bits of curious information.
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