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Title: The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei by David Tod Roy ISBN: 0-691-01614-3 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 17 March, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $37.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.86 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding translation of a delectable story
Comment: This is the book to read if you want to taste medieval Chinese culture: Salty love poetry, sweet wickedness, sour decadence, bitter philosophy, oily sex, all rolled up in a ginger and garlic spiced, fleshy bun. Roy lets you savor all the ingredients and, with a healthy sprinkling of notes, let's you peruse the cornucopia that inspired the recipes. Bon apetit for this first course of five.
Rating: 5
Summary: a short review
Comment: David Tod Roy has done Chinese literature proud by producing a scrupulously exact translation of this classic in Chinese erotica. Like what a previous reviewer says, it is "clear and precise", bringing out the naturalistic details of the novel fully to the reader; yet, for all its accuracy, it reads exceptionally well. For introduction, Roy has written a well-argued essay on why Jin-Ping Mei should be read as didactic literature, not as mere erotica, as it has for centuries. Jin-Ping-Mei's checkered history in Chinese literature doesn't disguise the fact that it is a very well written (and detailed) account of the rise and fall of an extended household, made obvious by corruption and its list of licentious dealings (both in Ximen Qing and his harem).
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating Plot - Superb Translation
Comment: David Tod Roy's translation of the classic 16th century Chin P'ing Mei is awesome and right on the money. The story leaps off the pages - this is how this famous vernacular Chinese novel was meant to be read! Every element of the story is clear and concise in Roy's translation, allowing the reader to enjoy the plot and the fascinating characters.
To briefly discuss the storyline, Chin P'ing Mei is a "spin off" from the classic Chinese novel Outlaws of the Marsh, and focuses on the trials and tribulations of the conniving seductress Pan Chin-lien and the new life she leads after murdering her husband. Some scholars of Chinese traditional literature will not like this allusion, but the story reads like a modern-day soap opera. The characters are lusty and scheming, and the general climate is electric. The general plot follows the intricate daily triumphs and frustrations of Hsi-Men Ching and his 'harem" of six wives and concubines (among them Pan Chin-lien). The story is rife with inter-household competition, infidelity, corruption, domestic abuse and eroticism. Characters are well developed, and the scenery is vivid. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the merchant class in 16th century China. It is easy to see how this novel has captured audiences for 400 years - and David Tod Roy's excellent translation will no doubt help it to endure for many more years to come.
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Title: The Plum in the Golden Vase, or Chin P'ing Mei: Volume Two: The Rivals. by David Tod Roy ISBN: 0691070776 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $42.50 |
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Title: Outlaws of the Marsh (Chinese Classics 4-Volume Boxed Set) by Shi Nai'An, Luo Guanzhong, Sidney Shapiro, Lo Kuan-Chung ISBN: 7119016628 Publisher: Acacia Press, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Three Kingdoms: Chinese Classics (Classic Novel in 4-Volumes) by Luo Guanzhong, Moss Roberts, Lo Kuan-Chung, Lo Kuan-Chung ISBN: 7119005901 Publisher: Foreign Language Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: The Golden Days (The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Volume 1) by Cao Xueqin, Hsueh-Chin Tsao, David Hawkes, O Kao, John Minford, Hsueh-Ch'in Ts'ao ISBN: 0140442936 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: March, 1974 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: A Dream of Red Mansions (4-Volume Boxed Set) by Cao Xueqin, Gao E, Yang Xianyi ISBN: 7119006436 Publisher: Acacia Press, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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