A History of Pain (Part One)

吴研人Jun 2024

3.8

Word count: 54K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

This book tells of the fall of the Southern Song, the Yuan army's conquest of the Central Plains, the treacherous minister Jia Sidao's selling out of his country for personal gain, and the loyal ministers such as Wen Tianxiang who fought the Yuan with courage. It recreates the nation's profound catastrophe amid a fetid court and battlefields everywhere, and depicts the cruelty of the Yuan forces' slaughter; it is a work of grief and indignation. The book concentrates on portraying the traitor Sidao, who monopolized court power as an imperial relative by marriage, abused his authority, lived in shameless debauchery, and secretly colluded with the Yuan, until he finally came to a thoroughly deserved end. The novel is faithful to historical fact and combines the strengths of historical narrative and chivalric tale; it is full of feeling, written with unrestrained vigor, and has a stern, vital spirit. The book has a set number of chapters, but the story is unfinished and appears not to be a complete draft.

Editor's review

Set against the fall of the Southern Song and the Yuan conquest of the Central Plains, The Painful History (Part One) interweaves the story of the traitor Jia Sidao's abuse of power and betrayal of the country with the resistance of loyal ministers such as Wen Tianxiang. Mingling the foul atmosphere of the court with the disasters of war everywhere, it is a work of grief and indignation, full of feeling and written with vigorous, uninhibited brushwork. Wu Yanren portrays Jia Sidao not only as a relative of the emperor who monopolizes court affairs, wields power with arrogance, and indulges in shameless debauchery, but also as one who secretly colludes with the Yuan and finally comes to a thoroughly deserved end, making the image of the traitor concentrated and vivid. In writing of Wen Tianxiang and the others, he brings in a method that combines historical narrative with chivalric tale, so that the writing has a stern vitality. The novel is faithful to historical fact while also drawing on the strengths of both historical narrative and chivalric tale; reading it brings both the deep sorrow of dynastic rise and fall and the tension of loyalty set against treachery. Note that the story is unfinished and appears not to be a complete manuscript, so readers should be prepared to face a fragment. Suitable for readers interested in the history of the Song-Yuan transition, historical romance, or narratives of loyalty and treachery, and also as material for discussing how historical fiction handles historical fact and emotion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of the Song-Yuan transition and historical romance
Literary readers who want to understand Wu Yanren's style in historical fiction
General readers who enjoy themes of loyalty versus treachery and the rise and fall of nations
Teachers and students in history or literature courses who need to discuss the relationship between historical fact and fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a complete, closed story and will not accept an unfinished manuscript
Readers who prefer light entertainment and find the heavy subject of national downfall oppressive
Readers impatient with the mixed classical-vernacular style and the combined historical-chivalric method

Reading tips

It may help to first learn the basic historical facts about the late Southern Song, Jia Sidao, and Wen Tianxiang, then read the novel alongside them.
While reading, notice how the author allocates space to Jia Sidao and to the loyal ministers, and consider the narrative of loyalty and treachery.
Mark off historical fact from fictional plot so as to discuss the limits of historical fiction.
After finishing, check on the incomplete state of the text so as not to mistake the unfinished part for a narrative design.

版权信息
第一回制朝仪刘秉忠事敌隐军情贾似道欺君
第二回闻警报度宗染微恙施巧计巫忠媚权奸
第三回守樊城范天顺死节战水陆张世杰设谋
第四回骂贼臣张贵发严辞送灵柩韩新当说客
第五回叛中国吕师夔降元闻警报宋度宗晏驾
第六回死溷厕权奸遗臭请投降皇帝称臣
第七回痛蒙尘三宫被辱辟谣琢二将怜忠
第八回走穷途文天祥落难航洋海张世杰迎君
第九回辞尊号杨太妃知礼议攘夷众志士定盟

FAQ

Why is the story unfinished?

The source indicates that the story is unfinished and appears not to be a complete manuscript. That is, the extant text is not a complete, closed manuscript, and readers will feel at the end that the plot has not been resolved. This is a matter of textual transmission, not a suspense deliberately left by the author.

Is the book about real history?

The novel is set against the fall of the Southern Song and the Yuan conquest of the Central Plains; its main characters and events are based on historical fact, while it also employs the methods of historical narrative and chivalric tale, with literary elaboration. When reading, one may treat the broad framework as history and the specific scenes and dialogue as novelistic technique.

What kind of character is Jia Sidao in the book?

The book concentrates on portraying him as a traitor: as a relative of the emperor he monopolizes court affairs, wields power with arrogance, indulges in shameless debauchery, secretly colludes with the Yuan, and finally comes to a thoroughly deserved end. This is a novelized treatment in a narrative of loyalty and treachery; the image is vivid, but it should not be taken directly as a complete historical assessment.

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About the author

吴研人 Author

Wu Yanren was an author active in the late Qing and early Republican periods, known for his fiction and popular historical writing. Reliable information about his life is currently limited: his birth and death years, native place, and education are not documented in available sources. The library holds four of his works: the three volumes of Painful History (Shang, Zhong, and Xia) and Long Live the Constitution. Judging from these titles, Painful History is a lengthy historical novel that draws on events from the late Song dynasty to express grief over the fate of the nation, with a somber tone and dense narrative. Long Live the Constitution, as its title suggests, reflects concern with the constitutionalist currents of the late Qing and carries a strong tone of contemporary commentary. These works combine the historical romance tradition of classical literature with a modern sense of social criticism, and are often classified under classical literature and Eastern philosophy; some reading platforms also label them as alternate-world fiction because of their imaginative and argumentative elements. Overall, Wu Yanren's writing uses history as its framework and commentary as its substance, and is representative of the transition from late Qing fiction toward modernity, though the loss and scattering of sources mean that his full profile remains to be further examined.