A Compendium of the Beautiful and the Strange

Wang ShizhenJul 2023

Rating 4.0
Word count
355K words
Chapters
42

Tags

Classical Literature Complex HumanityCuriosityShort StoriesTraditional AestheticsEclectic ReadingAncient StyleFolk CustomsFolk Legend

Summary

Yanyibian (A Compendium of the Alluring and the Strange) is a collection of chuanqi tales compiled by the Ming dynasty literatus Wang Shizhen. It gathers virtually all the celebrated stories of romance between men and women and of gods, ghosts, and monsters from the Han and Wei through the Ming. Readers drawn to such material should not miss this book. Drawing miscellaneous tales from old and new story collections and arranging them by category, it draws mainly on Tang chuanqi and Song, Yuan, and Ming fiction, with the largest number taken from Taiping Guangji. Song Lianbu's Qingzun lu, Hong Mai's Yijian zhi, Yuan Xia Bohe's Qinglou ji, and Ming Qu You's Jiandeng xinhua are also important sources, as are relevant historical works. The selections center closely on the two themes of "the alluring" and "the strange," favoring tales of love between men and women, including love between humans and gods, humans and spirits, humans and ghosts, and between humans. These subjects, long enduring in classical-language fiction, account for the great majority of the entries. Tales of secret palace affairs are also favored.

Editor's review

Yanyi Bian is a collection of chuanqi tales compiled and classified by Wang Shizhen of the Ming dynasty from ancient and modern fiction, drawing mainly on Tang chuanqi and Song, Yuan, and Ming tales, most extensively from Taiping Guangji, as well as from Yijian Zhi and Jiandeng Xinhua. Centered on the twin themes of "yan" (beauty/romance) and "yi" (the strange), it emphasizes love between men and women, including romances between humans and gods, humans and spirits, humans and ghosts, and between humans, and also includes pieces on palace secrets. Its value to readers lies not only in entertaining stories but in offering an anthology for observing the evolution of classical Chinese fiction themes: differences in how the same motif is handled across eras can be felt directly while browsing. The sources are diverse and the styles uneven, so it works best as a reference collection and anthology, read by theme or source rather than straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read by the two thematic groups, "yan" and "yi," starting with famous pieces such as human-ghost romances before expanding to other categories.
  2. Note each piece's source; those from Taiping Guangji can be compared with the original to observe editorial choices.
  3. No need to read straight through; use it as an anthology, browsing by theme or era and taking notes on the pieces.
  4. Consult annotations or reference works for obscure allusions to avoid interruptions from vocabulary obstacles.

Contents

  1. 序
  2. 艳异编卷一
  3. 艳异编卷二
  4. 艳异编卷三
  5. 艳异编卷四
  6. 艳异编卷五
  7. 艳异编卷六
  8. 艳异编卷七
  9. 艳异编卷八
  10. 艳异编卷九
  11. 艳异编卷十
  12. 艳异编卷十一
  13. 艳异编卷十二
  14. 艳异编卷十三
  15. 艳异编卷十四
  16. 艳异编卷十五
  17. 艳异编卷十六
  18. 艳异编卷十七
  19. 艳异编卷十八
  20. 致尊敬的读者
  21. 艳异编卷十九
  22. 艳异编卷二十
  23. 艳异编卷二十一
  24. 艳异编卷二十二
  25. 艳异编卷二十三
  26. 艳异编卷二十四
  27. 艳异编卷二十五
  28. 艳异编卷二十六
  29. 艳异编卷二十七
  30. 艳异编卷二十八
  31. 艳异编卷二十九
  32. 艳异编卷三十
  33. 艳异编卷三十一
  34. 艳异编卷三十二
  35. 艳异编卷三十三
  36. 艳异编卷三十四
  37. 艳异编卷三十五
  38. 艳异编卷三十六
  39. 艳异编卷三十七
  40. 艳异编卷三十八
  41. 艳异编卷三十九
  42. 艳异编卷四十

FAQ

What does the title Yanyi Bian mean? "Yan" refers to themes of romantic love between men and women, and "yi" to strange tales of gods, ghosts, and monsters. The selections revolve closely around these two themes, emphasizing love between men and women, including romances between humans and gods, humans and spirits, humans and ghosts, and between humans, and also including pieces involving palace secrets.
Are all the stories in the book originally by Wang Shizhen? No. The book is compiled and classified from ancient and modern fiction, mostly from Tang chuanqi and Song, Yuan, and Ming tales, most extensively from Taiping Guangji, and also drawing on Yijian Zhi, Jiandeng Xinhua, and related historical works. It is an anthology.
Should I read it straight through or selectively? Selective reading is more suitable. The sources are diverse and styles uneven, so browsing by "yan" and "yi" themes or by source is more efficient. For studying thematic evolution, compare pieces on the same motif across eras; for casual reading, just pick the famous pieces.

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

Wang Shizhen Author · China (Ming dynasty) · 1526–1590

Wang Shizhen (1526–1590), courtesy name Yuanmei and styled Fengzhou and Yanzhou Shanren, was a native of Taicang in Nan Zhili (present-day Taicang, Jiangsu). A Ming dynasty literary figure, historian and literary critic, he was a leading representative of the Later Seven Masters and dominated the literary scene for some twenty years, rising to the post of Minister of Justice at Nanjing. His writings span poetic and literary criticism, historical notes and biographies. Twenty-five of his works are included in this collection, among them Yiyuan Zhiyan, Yanshan Tang Bieji, Biographies of Chief Grand Secretaries since the Jiajing Reign, and several compilations of Ming anecdotes and records, as well as Jianxia Zhuan. Yiyuan Zhiyan sets out his literary views and exerted a lasting influence on the poetic and prose trends of the mid-to-late Ming. His historical and miscellaneous works preserve a wealth of information on Ming institutions and figures. His style is learned and disciplined, combining critical sharpness with narrative interest, and he is often mentioned in categories of classical literature and philosophical reading.