The Boy's Sword

Name: The Boy's Sword
ISBN: 9787503496370

冯玉奇China Culture and History Press · ChinaOct 2024

2.9

Word count: 79K words
Chapters: 15
ISBN: 9787503496370

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Summary

This novel by Feng Yuqi, a Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School writer of the Republican era, is included in the Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection: Feng Yuqi Volume. A wuxia work, it uses its protagonists and their experiences to encourage loyalty and filial piety and to expose treachery, conveying praise and blame through its narrative. The novel's themes are profound and its conception far-reaching, leaving the reader with the sense that the author sees through everything. It is well worth reading. This book is one installment in the series.

Editor's review

Included in the Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection: Feng Yuqi Volume, The Boy's Sword offers a concrete sample of wuxia as written by a Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School author. Feng Yuqi does not confine himself to fight scenes; through his characters' experiences he conveys praise and blame, encouraging loyalty and filial piety and exposing treachery. The conception is relatively deep, and the author's eye for the ways of the world comes through. For today's readers its value lies not only in plot but in what it reveals about how Republican-era popular fiction handled the relationship between ethical judgment and jianghu narrative. Characters are clearly divided into good and evil, and the narration bears vivid marks of its time. It is suitable as an introduction to, or supplementary reading in, Republican-era wuxia. Readers might place it within the genealogy of popular literature, noting how the author uses a wuxia shell to carry didactic intent, and noting too those modes of expression that differ from contemporary reading habits. Those seeking to systematically collect Feng Yuqi's works or study Republican-era wuxia publishing should add this book to their shelves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Republican-era wuxia and in the wuxia output of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School.
Students and researchers of Chinese popular literary history or Republican-era publishing culture.
Readers who enjoy traditional narratives of rewarding good and punishing evil and can accept the pacing of old-school serialized fiction.
Collectors systematically building a Feng Yuqi collection or a Republican-era wuxia collection.

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern, fast-paced wuxia with strong suspense or new-school fight scenes.
Readers impatient with the language and didactic commentary of Republican-era old-school fiction.
Readers looking only for light entertainment and unwilling to engage with themes of ethical praise and blame.

Reading tips

Begin with the preface or publisher's note to understand Feng Yuqi and the context of Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School wuxia before entering the main text.
Pay attention to the alignment of good and evil characters and to the commentary encouraging loyalty and filial piety, treating them as clues to Republican-era popular views of ethics.
There is no need to read it all in one sitting; follow the chapter-by-chapter rhythm in several sessions, pausing briefly at old-school vocabulary.
After finishing, compare it with other works in the same series to see how Feng Yuqi handles themes of praise and blame in wuxia.

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

版权信息
第一回舞宝剑别具心肠赚玉杯另有用意
第二回一缕闷香银瓶被劫三生缘果如玉得妻
第三回潘莲贞凤岭遇妹守财奴一见倾心
第四回说梦话似做皇帝下聘礼忽遭奇殃
第五回歧路分袂魂销河干夫妻团聚快乐家庭
第六回避雨逞强虎狼入室送杯获子保官认娘
第七回鱼水欢洞房花烛禽兽行丑态现形
第八回清龙寨天王归位武当山莲贞出家
第九回得噩梦徐丽鹃别母渡运河大蟒蛇报恩
第十回投宿店夜半遇周郎偿夙愿花开结并蒂
附录从鸳鸯蝴蝶派谈到冯玉奇小说
一、何谓鸳鸯蝴蝶派
二、如何评价鸳鸯蝴蝶派
三、如何看待冯玉奇的小说

FAQ

Is this book a complete wuxia novel or an anthology?

According to the publishing information, The Boy's Sword is a wuxia work by Feng Yuqi, included in the Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection: Feng Yuqi Volume as one installment of that series. For specific length and arrangement, refer to the physical book.

I have never read Republican-era wuxia. Can I start with this book?

Yes, but it is advisable first to understand the basic features of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School and old-school Republican-era wuxia. The language and narration bear the marks of their time, and a first reading may feel slow; it will go more smoothly if you treat it as a sample for understanding Republican-era popular fiction.

What themes does the book mainly address?

According to the source material, the work portrays its protagonists and their experiences to encourage loyalty and filial piety, expose treachery, and convey praise and blame; its themes are relatively profound. As you read, note how the author uses the wuxia story to express ethical judgments.

Is it suitable as material for academic research?

It can serve as auxiliary material for research on Republican-era popular literature, Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School wuxia, and Feng Yuqi's works, but it should be used alongside edition information and other historical sources rather than as the sole basis for overall judgments.

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About the author

冯玉奇 Author

Feng Yuqi was a writer of popular fiction in the Republican era. Public information about him is limited: neither his dates of birth and death nor his native place are clearly recorded. Yet the 172 works held in our collection attest to the sheer volume of his output. His writing is driven by plot, and his subjects range across wuxia, modern romance, social fiction, and time-travel and alternate-world fiction. Representative works include Chivalrous Five-Flower Chart, Wen Suchen, National Soul: Blood and Flowers, The Understanding Flower, Sea of Blood and Flowers of Love: Favors and Grudges, Soul Broken at the Slanting Sun: The Strange Man of the Desert Island, and Remnant Light on Green Waves. Most of these appeared in Republican-era popular-literature journals and as standalone volumes. His language is plain and accessible and his narrative pace brisk; he excels at interweaving love and hatred, gratitude and grievance, and chivalrous adventure, while also depicting the ways of the world. His work had a certain influence among urban readers of the time. Today his writings are collected in the Feng Yuqi volume of the Republican Popular Fiction Collection, offering a useful sample for studying the generic ecology of Republican-era popular literature.