Written around 1660, the unique Chinese short story collection Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor (Doupeng xianhua), by the author known only as Aina the Layman, uses the seemingly innocuous setting of neighbors swapping yarns on hot summer days under a shady arbor to create a series of stories that embody deep disillusionment with traditional values. The tales, ostensibly told by different narrators, parody heroic legends and explore issues that contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty a couple of decades before this collection was written, including self-centeredness and social violence. These stories speak to all troubled times, demanding that readers confront the pretense that may lurk behind moralistic stances.Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor presents all twelve stories in English translation along with notes from the original commentator, as well as a helpful introduction and analysis of individual stories.
Robert E. Hegel is Liselotte Dieckmann Professor of Comparative Literature and professor of Chinese at Washington University. The translators are Lane J. Harris, Robert Hegel, Li Fang-yu, Li Qiancheng, Mei Chun, Lindsey Waldrop, Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, Alexander C. Wille, Xu Yunjing, and Zhang Jing.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction | Gossip and Exaggeration in Aina’s Short Stories / Robert E. HegelTerms of Measurement and TitlesChronology of China’s Historical Periods (Dynasties and States)Preface: Dashed off by Whistling Crane of the Empty Heavens / Translated by Li QianchengForeword written by Aina the Layman from Shengshui, with Commentary by Ziran the Eccentric Wanderer from Yuanhu / Translated by Li QianchengSession 1: Jie Zhitui Sets Fire to His Jealous Wife / Translated by Mei Chun and Lane J. HarrisSession 2: Fan Li Drowns Xishi in West Lake / Translated by Li Fang-yuSession 3: A Court-Appointed Gentleman Squanders His Wealth but Takes Power / Translated by Alexander C. WilleSession 4: The Commissioner’s Son Wastes His Patrimony to Revive the Family / Translated by Li Fang-yuSession 5: The Little Beggar Who Was Truly Filial / Translated by Zhang JingSession 6: The Exalted Monks Who Faked Transcendence / Translated by Zhang JingSession 7: On Shouyang Mountain, Shuqi Becomes a Turncoat / Translated by Mei Chun and Lane J. HarrisSession 8: With a Transparent Stone, Master Wei Opens Blind Eyes / Translated by Alexander C. WilleSession 9: Liu the Brave Tests a Horse on the Yuyang Road / Translated by Annelise Finegan WasmoenSession 10: Freeloader Jia Forms a League on Tiger Hill / Translated by Robert E. Hegel and Xu YunjingSession 11: In Death, Commander Dang Beheads His Enemy / Translated by Lindsey WaldropSession 12: In Detail, Rector Chen Discourses on the Cosmos / Translated by Robert E. HegelAfterthoughts on StoriesHistorical and Cultural ReferencesNotesGlossary of Chinese CharactersBibliographyContributors
"A landmark collection of short stories from the early Qing, Idle Talk under the Bean Arbor brings sophisticated innovations to the vernacular storytelling tradition. Refreshingly shorn of the formulaic didacticism of its late Ming predecessors, these stories’ pervasive irony, dark humor, subversive views of history and cynical exposure of moral bankruptcy are conveyed in a lively vernacular expertly rendered by the dedicated team of translators under Robert Hegel’s seasoned editorship. Highly recommended."
Maram Epstein
"This use of a frame story has elicited frequent comparisons to the Decameron. . . . [And since the collection] was written shortly after the fall of the Ming, the stories offer a complex range of attitudes toward the values of dynastic loyalty and martyrdom."
Stephen West
"Employment of separate translators was a brilliant move since the stories are all told in different voices."