Chinese Literature Seminar: Water Margin Chapters 11-16
Details
We will begin a Chinese Literature Seminar starting in March 2023 to December 2025 where we will read the Six Classical Chinese Novels along with the 120 Short Stories of the San Yan. The Six Classical Novels of Chinese Literature consisting of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, the Scholars, and the Plum in the Golden Vase are widely considered among the greatest and longest novels ever written. In this second part of this new series, we will now try to read the Water Margin.
Water Margin (Shuihu zhuan) is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as Outlaws of the Marsh and All Men Are Brothers.
The tragic story, set in Northern Song dynasty (around 1120), tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gather at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to rebel against the government. Later they are granted amnesty and enlisted by the government to resist the nomadic conquest of the Liao dynasty and other rebels. While the book's authorship is attributed to Shi Nai'an (1296–1372), the first external reference of the novel only appeared in 1524 during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, sparking a long-lasting academic debate on when it was actually written and which historical events the author had witnessed that inspired him to write the book.
It is considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. It has introduced readers to many of the best-known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song, Lin Chong, Pan Jinlian, Song Jiang and Lu Zhishen. Water Margin also exerted a towering influence in the development of fiction in East Asia, such as in Japanese literature.
We will be using the Dent-Young translation, but any translation will suffice. Please read Chapters 11-16.
Part 1 Amazon Link Purchase Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Seals-Marshes-Mount-Guanzhong-ebook/dp/B07TMMJT1P/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L9XAV53QRHIY&keywords=marshes+of+mount+liang&qid=1659405274&sprefix=marshes+of+mount+liang%2Caps%2C5097&sr=8-1
Part 2 Amazon Purchase Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Killers-Marshes-Mount-Guanzhong-ebook/dp/B082CNNGR1/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1L9XAV53QRHIY&keywords=marshes+of+mount+liang&qid=1659405274&sprefix=marshes+of+mount+liang%2Caps%2C5097&sr=8-5
Part 3 Amazon Purchase Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Company-Three-Marshes-Guanzhong-ebook/dp/B07VGM55BZ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1L9XAV53QRHIY&keywords=marshes+of+mount+liang&qid=1659405274&sprefix=marshes+of+mount+liang%2Caps%2C5097&sr=8-2
Part 4 Amazon Purchase Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Ox-Marshes-Mount-Guanzhong-ebook/dp/B082J7S76Q/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1L9XAV53QRHIY&keywords=marshes+of+mount+liang&qid=1659405274&sprefix=marshes+of+mount+liang%2Caps%2C5097&sr=8-4
Part 5 Amazon Purchase Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Flock-Marshes-Mount-Liang/dp/9622019900/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1L9XAV53QRHIY&keywords=marshes+of+mount+liang&qid=1659405274&sprefix=marshes+of+mount+liang%2Caps%2C5097&sr=8-3