Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
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WHOSE STRANGE STORIES?<br />
long grass 1, and the coffin wood all warped [a<br />
large tree growing over it ]. [The girl sighed<br />
deeply.] "Lien-hsiang and I," said Yen-erh to her<br />
husband, "have been attached to (fond of ] each<br />
other in two states of existence. Let us not be<br />
separated, but bury my bones here with hers."<br />
Sang consented, and opening Miss Li's tomb<br />
took out the bones and buried them with those<br />
of Lien-hsiang, while friends and relatives, who<br />
had heard the strange story, [came of their own<br />
accord and] gathered round the grave in gala<br />
dress to the number of many hundreds.<br />
47<br />
<strong>P'u</strong> <strong>Sung</strong>-<strong>ling</strong>'s glorification of a bigamous<br />
relationship is to be rejected. It is branded<br />
with the ideology of the unreasonable<br />
marriage system of the times. (New Commentary)<br />
<strong>Strange</strong>, that both ghost and fox should be<br />
human beings! <strong>Strange</strong>r still that their bones<br />
from a previous existence should be buried<br />
together! If ghosts and foxes are like this, what<br />
harm can they possibly do? (Tan)<br />
I SeCTIOn Seven I<br />
The key to the Buddhist<br />
paradise (Don!)<br />
<strong>P'u</strong> <strong>Sung</strong>-<strong>ling</strong>'s studio-imaginary<br />
reconstruction, from Hsiang-elm<br />
Liao-chai chih-i t'u-yung
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