The Blue Frost Sword

Name: The Blue Frost Sword
ISBN: 9787503496073

冯玉奇China Culture and History Press · ChinaOct 2024

2.9

Word count: 132K words
Chapters: 14
ISBN: 9787503496073

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Summary

Written by Feng Yuqi, a Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School author of the Republican era, this book is included in the Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection · Feng Yuqi Volume. A wuxia work, it depicts its protagonists and their experiences to encourage loyalty and filial piety and to expose treachery, conveying praise and censure through allegory. Its themes are profound and its conception far-reaching, giving the impression that the author sees through everything; it is well worth reading. This is one such work.

Editor's review

Qingshuang Sword and The Boy's Sword are both wuxia works by Feng Yuqi, included in the “Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection · Feng Yuqi Volume.” Its appeal lies not in novel mechanisms or dazzling martial arts but in the author's method of using characters' experiences to encourage loyalty and filial piety and to expose treachery: behind the grudges of the jianghu lies a clear scale of praise and censure, and the narration often reveals an eye that sees through worldly affairs. For readers of Republican-era popular literature, this book shows how a Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School author used the wuxia form to carry ethical instruction, and conveys the chapter-by-chapter rhythm and discursive tone peculiar to old-school fiction. While reading, pay attention to the boundary between good and evil characters, the author's evaluative narration, and how these methods differ from contemporary wuxia. If you have already read other works by Feng Yuqi, you can compare them; if this is your first encounter, slow down and read it as a document of Republican-era wuxia, not merely as entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Republican-era old-school wuxia and are willing to experience the rhythm of chapter-by-chapter narration.
Researchers interested in how the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School used wuxia to express ethical praise and censure.
Series collectors who wish to read this alongside The Boy's Sword and other works by Feng Yuqi.
Readers interested in Republican-era popular fiction publishing who can accept a discursive style.

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the fast pace and complex fight choreography of modern new-school wuxia.
Readers alienated by the didactic commentary and exhortatory tone of old-school fiction.
Readers who want pure entertainment and are unwilling to attend to the historical context.

Reading tips

First learn about Feng Yuqi and the background of Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School wuxia, then read the text; this makes it easier to enter the old-school narrative context.
Pay attention to the passages encouraging loyalty and filial piety and exposing treachery; treat them as keys to understanding the themes rather than as digressions.
Read alongside The Boy's Sword to observe how the same author sets up characters and conveys praise and censure in similar material.
Read in chapter-by-chapter segments; pause briefly at old-school vocabulary or commentary, and do not strive for a rapid cover-to-cover read.

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
第一章为父报仇单身冒险闯虎穴
第二章叔侄误会各显神通拜师伯
第三章见色起淫心风流女欲嚼童子鸡
第四章睹艳思巧计癞痢僧剑斫小白兔
第五章青龙寨中大斗剑光良骥得娇妻
第六章白虎星到兄弟残杀一心抢做王
第七章奋勇除妖青霜剑竟做月下老
第八章正能克邪白人凤到底遇良师
第九章牛郎山被劫魔王洞
第十章落凤坡痛杀忤逆子
第十一章知恩报恩多情女投身做丫鬟
第十二章将计就计薄幸郎出奔花烛夜
附录从鸳鸯蝴蝶派谈到冯玉奇小说

FAQ

What is the relationship between Qingshuang Sword and The Boy's Sword?

Both are wuxia works by Feng Yuqi, included in the “Republican-Era Wuxia Fiction Collection · Feng Yuqi Volume,” but according to available information they are independent works, not volumes of one set; consult the physical book's table of contents and publication notes for details.

Is this book suitable for beginning wuxia readers?

It can serve as an introductory sample of Republican-era old-school wuxia, but it carries the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School's didactic commentary and chapter-by-chapter rhythm, which differ considerably from modern wuxia. Beginners should slow down and first learn the historical background.

What is special about the wuxia story in this book?

According to the source material, the work depicts its protagonists and their experiences to encourage loyalty and filial piety and to expose treachery, conveying praise and censure through allegory; its themes are relatively profound. Its distinguishing feature lies more in ethical judgment and insight into worldly affairs than in combat alone.

Do I need to read other works by Feng Yuqi first?

No. This book can be read independently; if you have already read The Boy's Sword and other works, reading them in comparison will better reveal the author's consistent approach to themes of praise and censure in wuxia material.

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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.