A Tale of Escaping Punishment cover

A Tale of Escaping Punishment

Rating 3.2
Word count
361K words
Chapters
24
ISBN
9787503499678

Tags

Summary

Xu Chunyu was a writer of the "Northern School" of Republican-era martial arts fiction. In 1942 the pictorial Liyan praised Xu Chunyu, Huanzhulouzhu, and Bai Yu as "three masters, all first-rate martial arts novelists." His fiction is plain and vigorous, its language unpolished, carrying a strong flavor of folk storytelling. The "Republican-Era Martial Arts Fiction Collection: Xu Chunyu Volume" gathers more than ten of his martial arts novels, a tribute to his classic works. This book is one of them.

Editor's review

Xu Chunyu was a representative writer of the "Northern School" of Republican-era wuxia. In 1942 the pictorial Liyan ranked him alongside Huanzhulouzhu and Bai Yu as first-rate martial arts novelists. This book belongs to the "Republican-Era Martial Arts Fiction Collection: Xu Chunyu Volume"; its language is plain and vigorous, unadorned, and retains the tone of folk storytelling, giving readers the rhythm of hearing a tale performed live. Its value lies not only in the wuxia story itself but in the way it presents the narrative character of Northern School wuxia within the context of Republican-era periodicals. For readers who want to understand the Northern School wuxia landscape beyond Huanzhulouzhu and Bai Yu, this book offers a rare textual sample. While reading, pay attention to how the storytelling mode advances the plot and shapes characters, and how colloquial folk speech combines with a vigorous spirit.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers interested in Republican-era wuxia and Northern School writers
  • Readers of popular fiction who enjoy the storytelling tone and folk narrative style
  • Scholars of Republican-era popular literary periodicals and the wuxia lineage
  • Readers seeking to expand their wuxia reading beyond Huanzhulouzhu and Bai Yu

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who prefer the pacing of modern wuxia narrative in the Jin Yong style
  • Readers impatient with old vernacular and storytelling-style language
  • Readers expecting rigorous historical research or a modern genre-fiction structure

Reading tips

  1. Begin with the introductory note or afterword to understand Xu Chunyu's place in Northern School wuxia.
  2. Read in the spirit of listening to a storyteller, noting how the oral style creates suspense and turns.
  3. Read alongside works by Huanzhulouzhu and Bai Yu to compare the different techniques of Northern School wuxia.
  4. When encountering obstacles in the old vernacular, do not pause; follow the plot forward to grasp the main thread.

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.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. “京味武侠”徐春羽(代序)
  3. 第一集
  4. 楔子 引旧话燕市来怪汉 述往事天桥看神弓
  5. 第一回 日暮苍黄王孙失路 风尘青眼公子延师
  6. 第二回 悲际遇丑鬟偷学艺 喜同心披发急亲仇
  7. 第三回 许都头夜探桃花镇 王教师大闹华家村
  8. 第四回 哀王孙都头遭缧绁 念公子庄主探监牢
  9. 第二集
  10. 续第四回 哀王孙都头遭缧绁 念公子庄主探监牢
  11. 第五回 青云渡父子逃刑 黑风岗王孙避难
  12. 第六回 三寸纸惊走虎狼役 一封信恶化鹦鹉林
  13. 第七回 丁立智取愁鹰涧 金威醉入打虎沟
  14. 第八回 汶上县一令施威 黑风岗双雄除虎
  15. 第三集
  16. 续第八回 汶上县一令施威 黑风岗双雄除虎
  17. 第九回 走沧州一客首途 入抚衙二贼偷印
  18. 第十回 杀贪官侠客除奸 诛恶霸英雄结义
  19. 第十一回 周大成大闹金友居 曹小芳夜探庆王府
  20. 第十二回 误入歧途师生反目 再探王府兄弟操戈
  21. 第四集
  22. 续第十二回 误入歧途师生反目 再探王府兄弟操戈
  23. 第十三回 计万年智赚方天玉 娄廷玉力斗周大成
  24. 第十四回 灭巨憝一王走国 正明器众士逃刑

FAQ

What are the stylistic features of Xu Chunyu's martial arts novels?
His language is plain and vigorous, unadorned, with a clear folk storytelling tone; the narrative is direct and vivid, the plot often advanced through storyteller-style suspense and turns, and the overall character is bold and unpretentious.
Is this book suitable as an introduction to Republican-era wuxia?
It can serve as extended reading, but is not necessarily the best introduction. Readers who have already read Huanzhulouzhu or Bai Yu will better appreciate the diversity of Northern School wuxia through Xu Chunyu; complete beginners to Republican-era wuxia should first choose more narratively complete representative works.
What is the reading value of the "Collection" edition?
The collection brings together more than ten of Xu Chunyu's martial arts novels, of which this book is one, making it easier for readers to understand his creative output systematically and providing a compiled text for studying Republican-era wuxia periodical literature.

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About the author

徐春羽 Author

Xu Chunyu is an author whose works are included in this Chinese book collection. Public information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded. The collection currently holds nineteen of his works, including such representative titles as Tie Ma Yin Qi, Yan Shuang Fei, Long Feng Xia, Tao Xing Zhuan, Feng Hu Yun Long, Cao Ze Qun Long, and Hu Po Lian Huan (Part 2). Judging from these titles and the common categories assigned to them, Xu Chunyu's writing is mainly concentrated in wuxia fiction, with some works also classified under the otherworld continent genre. His stories tend to deal with jianghu grudges, the deeds of knights-errant, and confrontations between good and evil, with plots that lean toward the adventure and legendary flavor of traditional chapter-based wuxia. Because verifiable biographical information is scarce, it is difficult at present to trace his creative career or martial-arts lineage; readers may instead follow his surviving works to appreciate his narrative interests and the imaginative world of wuxia.

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