Tales of Strange Knights Beyond the Pass

Name: Tales of Strange Knights Beyond the Pass
ISBN: 9787520523134

张个侬China Culture and History Press · ChinaNov 2024

3.1

Word count: 210K words
Chapters: 44
ISBN: 9787520523134

Report an error Find this book

Summary

The Legend of the Strange Knights of Guandong is a full-length martial arts novel. Zhang Genong, a writer of the Republican era, devoted half a year to its creation; his friend Zhao Shaokuang wrote the preface, and Qianjiangzi Hongjiao supplied a commentary for each chapter. Zhao's preface offers a shrewd summary and high praise, quoted here in part: "I reflect that these two gentlemen (Zhang Genong and Qianjiangzi Hongjiao) have long been renowned figures in the literary world and have enjoyed fame in the realm of fiction for many years. Now each brings his own strengths to a joint effort that produced this manuscript—a perfect union of fine elements, certain to offer much worth seeing, I dare say. I therefore obtained the original manuscript and read it, and found that in portraying the lives of the various strange knights it is full of vigor, the figures come alive on the page, and the force of the writing is evident throughout. Its conceptions are novel, its layout well ordered, its structure tightly woven, and its narrative and sentiment equally accomplished; it never falls into the rut of ordinary martial arts fiction. Compared with the various novels recently published in the marketplace, it is vastly different—truly not to be mentioned in the same breath."

Editor's review

The Legend of the Strange Knights of Guandong is a full-length martial arts novel completed by Zhang Genong over half a year, with a preface by his friend Zhao Shaokuang and chapter-by-chapter commentary by Qianjiangzi Hongjiao—a pairing of preface and commentary that is a notable feature of Republican-era fiction. In his preface Zhao praises the book for portraying the lives of strange knights with vigor, making its figures come alive on the page, and for its novel conceptions, well-ordered layout, tight structure, and equal excellence in narrative and sentiment, never falling into the rut of ordinary martial arts fiction. These assessments come from a contemporary friend, yet they also point to the book's self-conscious pursuit of characterization and structural craft. Readers may wish to consult the preface alongside the chapter commentaries, gaining both a sense of the literary social world of the Republican era and an appreciation of the commentators' attention to narrative technique. For readers seeking a fuller picture of Republican-era martial arts fiction, this book offers a sample distinct from the line of Pingjiang Buxiaosheng and Huanzhulouzhu.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Republican-era martial arts fiction and annotated editions
Martial arts fans who enjoy chapter-style narrative and ensemble characterization
Scholars studying Republican-era popular fiction publishing and the culture of prefaces and commentaries
Experienced martial arts readers hoping to expand their map of Republican-era fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern martial arts pacing and dislike interwoven commentary
Beginners with little interest in the language style of Republican-era fiction
Readers who want a single main plotline and dislike multi-hero narratives

Reading tips

Read Zhao Shaokuang's preface first to grasp how contemporaries viewed the book, then proceed to the main text.
Pay attention to Qianjiangzi Hongjiao's commentary after each chapter and compare it with the main text to see what the commentator focuses on.
Keep pen and paper handy to chart the lives of the various strange knights; the relationships in this ensemble narrative deserve close attention.
If the chapter-style pace feels slow, read a few chapters a day to stay连贯 without skipping.

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
作者简介
赵序
自序
第一回鱼鼓轻敲惊闻韩湘子鸿影一瞥疑是安琪儿
第二回大豪杰任侠诛洋奴恶土劣强奸死烈妇
第三回忠告善道诤友进谏杀人自首英雄充军
第四回惩解差侠士初试技壮行色朋友馈程仪
第五回狠心辣手禁卒肆虐快举豪行军犯闹监
第六回狗头军师画谋定策塞北豪客排难解纷
第七回岭南健儿大闹锦州狱关东侠士小集三家村
第八回表孤忠遗言报国纠同志结党树义
第九回前途多崄巘行不得也哥哥后援少将伯其难为了妹妹
第十回盗库银子矛刺子盾改批文狐掘即狐埋
第十一回明哲保身远行避祸奸谋诡计画饼徒劳
第十二回是是非非为名为利生生死死传信传疑
第十三回财能通神有罪亦可赎谑足速祸无风竟兴波
第十四回人间巧事戏语成谶语天外奇祸喜剧变悲剧
第十五回糊涂官糊涂定谳慷慨士慷慨陈词
第十六回侦正犯意外得线索逢义贼奇巧破疑案
第十七回受责自处白刃染红血巧言诱供英雄赚积窃
第十八回真奇闻官教贼翻供大快事贪及污丧生
第十九回难兄弟运功杀洋人贤郎舅拟状愬列宪
第二十回打师父徒弟白画显身手欺孤儿寡妇黑夜飞人头
第二十一回毙命中途荡子果报悬首高杆恶叔丧元
第二十二回公道在人心贞嫠得释义勇形容色侠士被疑
第二十三回惩莠民贤令破积案敬壮士难弟结良朋
第二十四回袒护杰士正言诘阿兄嫁祸侠客售语欺徒弟
第二十五回小子无知骄矜遭挫辱志士有意课徒育英才
第二十六回客来不速蓦地会胜友名以幸成倏然逢好汉
第二十七回奏凯歌数番夺锦标受耻辱初次被败北
第二十八回气愤愤长街逢女侠狠巴巴狭路逐冤家
第二十九回前尘洄溯舌底生莲花思潮起伏胸际障疑云
第三十回发奋图雄师门同立雪馈金示惠蓬荜忽生辉
第三十一回劣弟子挟嫌劫师父大英雄青眼识良驹
第三十二回辞官阶拳叟明心泄异谋志士解体
第三十三回雪前耻二次作壮游修旧怨两番斗女侠
第三十四回一场狠斗男女各受伤数句谑言后先招奇祸
第三十五回不速客来旅店惊好梦非常礼至家宅兆焚如
第三十六回大强盗买命桃僵用李代老英雄任侠香楮作贺仪
第三十七回耀武扬威不愧老当益壮词严义正何殊神针法炙
第三十八回救难女老侠士显艺做刺客大流氓丧生
第三十九回背官箴有司徒自苦泄机密侠义竟速祸
第四十回英雄好汉如是下场侠女奇男者般结局

FAQ

How does Zhao Shaokuang's preface help in understanding the book?

From the perspective of a contemporary literary friend, the preface summarizes the book's vigorous portrayal of strange knights' lives, its novel conceptions, well-ordered layout, tight structure, and equal excellence in narrative and sentiment, and stresses that it does not fall into the rut of ordinary martial arts fiction. Reading the preface first helps grasp the book's pursuit of characterization and structural craft and provides a reference for understanding the main text.

What are the chapter-by-chapter commentaries? Do I need to read them?

The commentaries were written by Qianjiangzi Hongjiao and appended to each chapter, a common form of annotation in Republican-era fiction. They record the commentator's immediate views on plot and character, and readers may treat them as a reading thread running parallel to the main text. Whether to read them closely is a matter of personal interest, but consulting them helps appreciate the reading tastes and critical perspectives of the time.

Is this book suitable for beginners to martial arts fiction?

This is a Republican-era chapter-style martial arts novel whose language and narrative pace bear the marks of its time, and it includes prefaces and commentaries. Beginners accustomed to modern martial arts pacing may need some time to adjust. Those already interested in Republican-era popular literature, or willing to read slowly and savor it, may find it worth trying.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

张个侬 Author · Chinese

Zhang Genong was a writer of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School during the Republican era. A native of Dantu in Jiangsu (present-day Zhenjiang), he wrote under such pen names as Feng Chousheng, Feng Shisheng, and Zhuobi Shanren. Public information about his birth and death dates and early life is limited, but his surviving works show that he ranged across social, martial arts, detective, and historical fiction with ease, achieving his greatest success in martial arts novels. His representative works include Sh Potian Jinglu (Stone-Breaking Record), Guan Dong Qixia Zhuan (Tales of Strange Heroes of the Northeast), and the Four Great Swordsmen series. This library holds 41 of his works, most of them martial arts novels, including multiple installments of Stone-Breaking Record. His writing occupies a place in the history of Republican-era martial arts fiction, with intricate plots and diverse subjects that offer valuable texts for the study of popular literature of the period.