Reading Zen, Observing the World
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Summary
This book mainly collects some of Su Manshu's Zen-flavored writings, including fiction and some poems and essays in memory and commemoration of him. For readers interested in Su Manshu, this is a classic not to be missed. Su Manshu's writing is fresh and fluent, his diction graceful, his plots moving, and he had a considerable influence on the later Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school of fiction. He was versatile all his life, skilled in poetry and painting, conversant with several languages, and especially versed in Buddhist doctrine. Most of his fiction is widely read, often on the theme of tragic love, tender and touching, with many original touches in psychological and scenic description. Zhou Zuoren evaluated him thus: "Manshu was a highly gifted man, as his quatrains and short prose pieces show, and he was born with a romantic temperament that could well represent the literary atmosphere around the time of the revolution." The basic thought expressed in Su Manshu's works is closely connected with the bourgeois national and democratic revolution and serves the struggle against imperialism and feudalism. His attention to revealing the contradictions in his protagonists' minds is in fact a true reflection of his own inner painful struggle. His writing is fresh and fluent, his diction graceful, his plots intricate and moving, and he had a considerable influence on the later popular Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school of fiction.
Editor's review
This book selects Su Manshu's fiction and some commemorative poems and essays around his Zen-flavored writing, and serves well as an introduction to this versatile man of letters. Su Manshu was skilled in poetry and painting, conversant with several languages and deeply versed in Buddhist doctrine; his writing is fresh and graceful, his plots often concern tragic love, and his psychological and scenic descriptions have much that is original. The works gathered here show both tender emotional expression and the literary atmosphere around the time of the revolution, together with an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal undertone. Zhou Zuoren's evaluation of his gifts and romantic temperament helps readers understand both the man and his writing. Read the fiction alongside the commemorative poems and essays, attending both to the beauty of the diction and to how personal experience and the spirit of the age intertwine. For readers who want to understand the transformation of modern literature, the origins of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school, and literary writing steeped in Buddhist thought, this book offers a relatively concentrated entry to the texts.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Literary readers interested in Su Manshu's life and work
- Readers who want to understand modern fiction and the origins of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school
- Readers who enjoy graceful diction, tragic love and a lyrical tone
- Readers curious about the relation between Buddhist thought and literary writing
Not a good fit for
- Readers who read only contemporary fiction and are uncomfortable with the feel of modern classical Chinese
- Readers expecting systematic Buddhist theory or meditation guidance
- Readers who prefer strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Reading tips
- Read the fiction first, then the commemorative poems and essays, to see how the man and his writing illuminate each other.
- Mark classical expressions or Buddhist terms lightly as you go, and look them up together after finishing a piece.
- After each piece, write two or three sentences of response, noticing how psychological and scenic description work together.
- Read alongside basic knowledge of modern literary history to understand the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school and the literary atmosphere around the revolution.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 代序一 行云流水一情僧
- 代序二 红尘过客苏曼殊
- 第一章 禅里禅外
- 儆告十方佛弟子启
- 阿输迦王表彰佛诞生处碑译文
- 燕子龛随笔（六十二则）
- 岭海幽光录
- 燕影剧谈
- 告宰官白衣启
- 呜呼广东人
- 南洋话
- 华洋义赈会观
- 讨袁宣言
- 女杰郭耳缦
- 碧伽女郎传
- 《曼殊画谱》序
- 《梵文典》自序
- 《文学因缘》自序
- 《潮音》跋
- 《双枰记》序
- 《三次革命军》题辞
- 拜伦诗选自序
- 秋瑾遗诗序
- 送邓邵二君序
- 复罗弼•庄湘（说法不劳）
- 冯春航谈
- 海哥美尔氏名画赞
- 露伊斯美索尔遗像赞
- 跋画
- 以诗并画留别汤国顿（二首）
- 住西湖白云禅院作此
- 答邓绳侯
- 忆刘三、天梅
- 花朝
- 西湖韬光庵夜闻鹃声，柬刘三
- 久欲南归罗浮不果，因望不二山有感，聊书所怀，寄二兄广州，兼呈晦闻、哲夫、秋枚三公沪上
- 过若松町有感
- 过平户延平诞生处
- 淀江道中口占
- 寄晦闻
- 题《师梨集》
- 有怀（二首）
- 为调筝人绘像（二首）
- 代柯子简少侯
- 失题
- 寄调筝人（三首）
- 本事诗（十首）
- 落日
- 过蒲田
- 过若松町有感示仲兄
- 游不忍池示仲兄
- 题《拜伦集》
- 步韵答云上人（三首）
- 别云上人
- 柬法忍
- 吴门依易生韵（十一首）
- 无题（八首）
- 为玉鸾女弟绘扇
- 南楼寺怀法忍、叶叶
- 饮席赠歌者
- 东行别仲兄
- 憩平原别邸赠玄玄
- 偶成
- 东居杂诗十九首
- 芳草
- 第二章 化外红尘
- 断鸿零雁记
- 绛纱记
- 焚剑记
- 碎簪记
FAQ
Is this book the complete works of Su Manshu?
According to the materials, this book mainly collects Su Manshu's Zen-flavored writings, including fiction and some poems and essays in memory and commemoration of him; it is not a complete works in the strict sense. Readers may regard it as a selection with a thematic focus, centered on Zen-flavored writing and related commemorative texts.
Can I read this book without knowing Buddhist doctrine?
Yes. The fiction is mostly on the theme of tragic love, and the plot and emotional threads are readable in themselves; Buddhist thought appears more in the characters' states of mind and the texture of the writing. Do not feel obliged to understand every technical term at first; grasp the characters' psychology and the narrative atmosphere, then return to the relevant words.
What are the characteristics of Su Manshu's fiction?
The materials show that his fiction is mostly on the theme of tragic love, tender and touching, with original touches in psychological and scenic description; the writing is fresh and fluent, the diction graceful, and it had a considerable influence on the later Mandarin Duck and Butterfly school. As you read, notice the relation between the protagonist's inner conflicts and the scenery that sets them off.
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About the author
Su Manshu
Author · Chinese · 1884–1918
Su Manshu (1884–1918), originally named Jian and styled Zigu, with the monastic name Manshu, was a native of Xiangshan, Guangdong, born in Yokohama, Japan. He was a modern poet, novelist, translator, and painter who took monastic vows several times and joined the Southern Society and the anti-Qing revolution. His classical-language fiction, represented by The Lone Swan and Jiangsha Ji, often depicts wandering lives and tender romances in a plaintive, refined style; poems such as Benshi Shi and Dongju are equally heartfelt, blending classical resonance with personal melancholy. He also translated works by Byron and Hugo, leaving a mark on Sino-Western literary exchange. His works in this collection number over forty, spanning fiction, poetry, and prose, and include classic works, social fiction, classical literature, and miscellaneous essays. Liu Yazi once compiled The Complete Works of Su Manshu, and his life and writing influenced later Mandarin Duck and Butterfly fiction and lyrical literature.
