New Tales Told by Lamplight

瞿佑赤尔斯 · ChinaJul 2024

4.4

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Qu You, courtesy name Zongji, art name Cunzhai, was a native of Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) and a celebrated literary figure of the early Ming dynasty. He won fame as a poet in his youth, yet his talents went unrecognized throughout his life; under the Hongwu Emperor he held only minor posts such as instructor, prefectural schoolmaster, and assistant to a prefect. During the Yongle era he incurred trouble over a poem and was banished for ten years. His works include the story collection Jiandeng Xinhua (New Tales Under the Lamplight).

Editor's review

Jiandeng Xinhua (New Tales Under the Lamplight) is a collection of chuanqi tales by Qu You of the early Ming dynasty. The author, courtesy name Zongji, was a native of Qiantang who won poetic fame as a youth but whose official career remained stunted, limited to minor teaching posts; during the Yongle era he was punished over a poem and banished for ten years. This background lends his tales, beyond their romantic and supernatural matter, a layer of personal sorrow and cool observation of the ways of the world. The stories mostly concern trysts between the living and the dead and the unions and partings of lovers; the prose is ornate and the plots intricate. The collection carries on the legacy of Tang and Song chuanqi and sets the tone for Ming-dynasty classical-language fiction, holding a transitional place in the history of wenyan fiction. Readers may enjoy the cunning of its storytelling and the beauty of its prose while also noting the real-world laments the author lodges in his world of ghosts and foxes. It serves well as an introductory text for understanding early Ming wenyan fiction; the tales stand alone, suited to slow reading piece by piece, and with annotations to help with classical diction the reader can better appreciate the writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who enjoy classical-language chuanqi and tales of the strange
University students and researchers studying the history of Ming-Qing fiction
Readers interested in the circumstances and mindset of early Ming literati
Those who wish to build reading experience through short wenyan pieces

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long, continuous narratives with tightly structured plots
Those with no classical Chinese reading ability who are unwilling to use annotations
Readers looking for modern urban or realist subject matter

Reading tips

Read the tales in order, pausing after each to savor the plot and prose.
Keep a classical Chinese dictionary or annotated edition at hand and look up allusions and unfamiliar words promptly.
Watch for the real-world concerns behind the tales of love between the living and the dead, and try writing brief reading notes.
Read alongside discussions of Ming wenyan fiction to understand the collection's place in literary history.

About the publisher

赤尔斯 China · Founded in 2022

Chiers is a publishing brand used by Beijing Chiers Culture Media Co., Ltd., established in 2022; publicly available information is limited. Judging from the 13 titles in its catalogue, its publishing focus centres on classical Chinese literature and traditional culture, covering ancient philosophy, historical works, huaben fiction and poetic texts. Representative titles include Ge Hong's Baopuzi, Ye Longli's History of the Khitan State, Qu You's New Tales Under the Lamplight, Hong Pian's Qingping Shantang Huaben, Zhang Zhidong's Shumu Dawen and Ma Zong's Yilin, alongside note-style fiction such as Yue Jun's Ershilu and social novels such as Jiang Guangci's Short Trousers. Its author resources consist mainly of the authors of public-domain classics, and its publishing character lies in reissuing ancient works and classic literature in e-book form, with attention to the systematic organisation of source texts and the popularisation of traditional cultural knowledge.

版权信息
剪灯新话
《剪灯新话》序一
《剪灯新活》序二
《剪灯新话》序三
《剪灯新话》序四
剪灯新话卷一
剪灯新话卷二
剪灯新话卷三
剪灯新话卷四

FAQ

Who was Qu You?

According to the source material, Qu You, courtesy name Zongji, art name Cunzhai, was a native of Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) and a celebrated literary figure of the early Ming dynasty. He won poetic fame as a youth but his talents went unrecognized throughout his life; under the Hongwu Emperor he held only minor posts such as instructor, prefectural schoolmaster, and assistant to a prefect, and during the Yongle era he incurred trouble over a poem and was banished for ten years. He is the author of the story collection Jiandeng Xinhua (New Tales Under the Lamplight) and other works.

What is this book's place in the history of fiction?

Jiandeng Xinhua is a representative work of early Ming classical-language chuanqi fiction. It carries on the Tang-Song chuanqi tradition and sets the tone for Ming-dynasty wenyan fiction, holding a transitional significance in the history of wenyan fiction and standing as an important text for understanding early Ming fiction.

Are the stories long or short?

Jiandeng Xinhua is a collection of chuanqi tales made up of many independent short stories, each with its own complete plot. They mostly concern love between the living and the dead and supernatural unions and partings. Readers can read them in installments rather than all at once.

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About the author

瞿佑 Author

Qu You was a Ming-dynasty writer of classical-language fiction, though public information about his life is limited. Five works are listed under his name in this catalog, the best known being New Tales Under the Lamplight (Jiandeng Xinhua), which also appears among the "Ten Great Banned Books of Ancient China." The catalog includes an unannotated edition and a plain-Chinese retelling of the same work, as well as his poetry-related work Guitian Shihua. His writing often draws on social life and strange or anecdotal events, in an elegant style that blends narrative with poetic interest, occupying a place between classical tales of the marvelous and notebook fiction. New Tales Under the Lamplight circulated widely and influenced later fiction and drama; its common categories here span social fiction, classical poetry, and youth literature, showing that his works cross the terrain of everyday life and verse.