The Big Barrel
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy allegorical fiction and elaborate invented worlds
- Those interested in the origins of civilization and retold myth
- Readers willing to ponder symbol and metaphor within a fictional setting
- Readers of Zhu Dake's other work curious about his fiction
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking realistic historical fiction or strict factual accuracy
- Readers who prefer light reading and avoid complex symbolic systems
- Readers impatient with slow-building worldbuilding
Reading tips
- Accept the premise before following the story; don't check it against real history
- Watch for recurring images—the circular city, the perpetual-motion machine, the Feathered Serpent—which form the novel's symbolic backbone
- After finishing, trace the relationship among the high priest, the Feathered Serpent's incarnation and the city's fate
About the publisher
Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 人物表
- 名词表
- 第一章 提佐克传奇
- 建在永动机上的城市
- 墨尔斯的少年旧事
- 古怪的“大桶”及其居民
- 羽蛇神和大祭司霍皮
- 采集者“老豹子”
- 药剂师的艳遇
- 第二章 火刑架上的少女
- 不祥的预兆
- 灵魂是这样被导引的
- 霍皮的秘密世界
- 飞行器实验引发的风波
- 安吉大祸临头
- 火刑与献祭
- 洛伦佐十五世及其秘密家族
- 神庙里的女囚
- 第三章 死亡女神崛起
- 霍皮与安吉的“神交”
- 墨尔斯首次遇刺
- 霍皮的女密探们
- 逃亡还是改变，这是一个问题
- 第二次未遂谋杀
- 女神祭拜时刻
- 墨尔斯长老诞生记
- 第四章 墨尔斯之战
- 大祭司的惧怕
- 洛伦佐十五世的梦想
- 老豹子和他的女人们
- 团聚时分
- 霍皮的床帏秘密
- 女神与霍皮的那件事儿
- 实验室风波
- 丹娜的记忆
- 热带雨林里的秘密
- 巴蒂的牢房
- 第五章 夺女杀妻之仇
- 波波卡的“夜鹭计划”
- 长老会惊变
- 丹娜火中涅槃
- 霍皮的谎言
- 波波卡用计
- 老豹子的图谋
- 洛伦佐家族现身
- 洛伦佐十五世和他的十二个妻子
- 父与子的最后对话
- 第六章 胜利与出走
- 发狂的黑曜石宝刀
- 洛伦佐家族的时空转向
- 巴蒂，巴蒂
- 波波卡营救安吉
- 女神向民众发表演说
- 特诺奇兄妹走了
- 尾声
- 自跋
FAQ
Is the historical setting based on fact?
Will not having read Zhu Dake's other works affect my reading?
Why is it called The Great Barrel?
Comments
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About the author
Zhu Dake, born in Shanghai in 1957 with ancestral roots in Wuping, Fujian, is a contemporary Chinese cultural scholar, critic and writer. He graduated from the Department of Chinese at East China Normal University in 1983 and later received a PhD in philosophy from the University of Technology Sydney. He is currently a professor at the Institute of Cultural Criticism at Tongji University. His published works span cultural criticism and mythology studies, including Burning Maze, The Banquet of Rogues and The Ancient Deities of China. In literary creation, this site includes his work Big Barrel, classified under otherworld fantasy, which shows that beyond academic writing he has also ventured into fantasy narrative. Based on the currently available public information, material on the overall shape and style of his fiction is limited, making a systematic assessment difficult; readers may explore this dimension through the themes and narrative approach of Big Barrel.
