Tales of Ghosts and Gods

不题撰人Jun 2024

3.0

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 19

Summary

Ghosts and Gods: A Tale of Karmic Retribution is a collection of short stories in four volumes and eighteen chapters. The last three chapters are taken from chapter ten of Gujin Xiaoshuo, "Magistrate Teng's Ghostly Judgment of a Family Property Dispute." The book has no preface or postscript; it is a collection of short stories, titled The Complete Tale of the Water Ghost Who Rose to Become City God, Manifesting Good and Evil Retribution, and its author is unknown. The book depicts righteous gods and ghosts aiding the good and punishing the wicked; the plots are not especially intricate, but they uphold uprightness and embed moral lessons, making for pleasant and heartening reading.

Editor's review

Ghosts and Gods is a collection of short stories in four volumes and eighteen chapters devoted to karmic retribution, with an unknown author; only the last three chapters are taken from chapter ten of Gujin Xiaoshuo, "Magistrate Teng's Ghostly Judgment of a Family Property Dispute," offering a glimpse of how ancient vernacular fiction was pieced together in transmission. The book's main thread is righteous gods and ghosts aiding the good and punishing the wicked; its plots do not rely on intricate twists but state the retribution of good and evil plainly and directly, with a simple, heartening power. For readers wishing to understand folk notions of karma, City God and water ghost beliefs, and how ancient short vernacular fiction was compiled and created, this book offers a direct textual sample; its way of "embedding moral lessons" also makes it suitable introductory material for discussing traditional views of good and evil. One need not seek suspense or thrills in reading it; it is better treated as a set of short didactic tales, attending to the recurring logic of retribution and expressions of folk ethics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient folk tales of karmic retribution
Readers wishing to learn about narratives of folk beliefs such as the City God and water ghosts
Scholars studying the compilation and piecing together of ancient vernacular short stories
Writers or teachers needing material on traditional moral exhortation

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern fiction who prefer intricate plots and strong suspense
Readers expecting systematic religious or philosophical exposition rather than a story collection
Readers clearly averse to the theme of karmic retribution

Reading tips

Read through in chapter order, noting similarities and differences in the patterns of retribution.
When reaching the last three chapters, compare them with the relevant piece in Gujin Xiaoshuo to observe traces of adaptation.
Pause after every one or two stories and note the criteria for judging good and evil.
Read alongside general knowledge of folk beliefs, but no need to verify every point in a scholarly spirit.

版权信息
第一回鬼有三德后升城隍巡江查察受封河道
第二回地藏赐符城隍接札判断阴阳收除六害
第三回专造伪银上天难恕移关勾获定其罪名
第四回路逢白骨脱衣遮盖因功上奏以显后裔
第五回急难相周谢恩脱苦喜舍棺木加寿四纪
第六回途遇尸骸备棺收殓贼人谋害水鬼救护
第七回恶妇毒心阴阳昭报柳金郁陷祁妇含冤
第八回柳金托梦报夫报母助黄必贵一举成名
第九回积德累功天赐麒麟修筑江坟鬼来助嗣
第十回六夷骗扇妇鬼雪冤恩报关定结果圆成
第十一回僖宗即位开科取士文武二场出榜招贤
第十二回招容小姐红梅折赠顺兴公子怒打聘礼
第十三回透开金锁私放裴生惠娘奉旨以雪前冤
第十四回曹二奸贼诱夫夺色文正屈陷包公雪冤
第十五回土恶杨昌送肉投砧清官明察救活六犯
第十六回倪太守谦古稀余九受纳偏房结子联成
第十七回善继欺弟家业不平母子商酌公堂诉情
第十八回画图哑偈作鬼分家暗谋先定判断明证

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of short stories?

It is a collection of short stories in four volumes and eighteen chapters, each relatively independent, with the main thread being righteous gods and ghosts aiding the good and punishing the wicked through karmic retribution—not a continuous novel-length plot.

What is the relationship between the last three chapters and Gujin Xiaoshuo?

According to the source material, the last three chapters are taken from chapter ten of Gujin Xiaoshuo, "Magistrate Teng's Ghostly Judgment of a Family Property Dispute," showing that the book absorbed existing vernacular stories during compilation—evidence for observing the transmission and piecing together of ancient fiction.

Does the book stand out for intricate plotting?

No. The source material states plainly that the plots are not especially intricate; its strength lies in upholding uprightness and embedding moral lessons, making for heartening reading. It is better suited to those interested in moral exhortation than in suspense design.

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About the author

不题撰人 Author

"Buti Zhuanren" is not the real name of a particular author, but a conventional attribution common in the collation and publication of Chinese classical texts, indicating that the original work has left no identifiable author or compiler. As for the holdings on this site, there are forty-three works under this attribution, and publicly available information is very limited: birth and death dates, nationality, and biographical details cannot be verified. Judging from the works themselves, their content centers mainly on traditional classics and classical popular literature, including unannotated editions of canonical and historical works such as the Zhouyi, Zhouli, and Bamboo Annals, as well as historical narratives and court-case tales such as the Sanguo zhi pinghua and The Cases of Lord Shi: A Hundred Strange Sights. The overall approach favors preserving the original text with little embellishment, allowing readers to encounter the old editions directly. The common categories cover historical reading, classic works, and classical literature, suggesting that this attribution mainly serves the function of preserving and popularizing texts rather than reflecting an individual author's creative character.