China's most important love comedy, Wang Shifu's Xixiangji, or The Story of the Western Wing, is a rollicking play that chronicles the adventures of the star-crossed lovers Oriole and Student Zhang. Since its appearance in the thirteenth century, it has enjoyed unparalleled popularity. The play has given rise to innumerable sequels, parodies, and rewritings; it has influenced countless later plays, short stories, and novels and has played a crucial role in the development of drama criticism. This translation of the full and complete text of the earliest extant version is available in paperback for the first time. The editors' introduction will inform students of Chinese cultural and literary traditions.
PREFACE
FOREWORD by Cyril Birch
TABLE OF CHINESE DYNASTIES
DRAMA TIS PERSONJE
INTRODUCTION
1. The Status ofWang Shifu's Story cfthe Western Wing in Chinese Literature
2. Author and Authorship
3. The Pedigree of the Materials
4. Exceptions to the Rules
5. An Introduction to the World of The Western Wing
TRANSLATION
Book the First
An Introduction to the Story of Oriole Cui and Student Zhang
[ Eight Satiric Songs Against The Western Wing]
The Story cf the Western Wing
Play I, Burning Incense and Worshiping the Moon
Play II, Icy Strings Spell Out Grief
Book the Second
[ Untitled] to the Tune "Basheng Ganzhou"
The Story of the Western Wing
Play III, Feelings Transmitted by Lines of Poetry
Play IV, A Clandestine Meeting ofRain and Clouds
Play V, A Reunion Ordained by Heaven
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APPENDICES
Appendix I, A Pair cfBattling Quacks
Appendix II, A Noontime Dream in the Garden Grove
GLOSSARY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Stephen H. West is Professor of East Asian Languages at the University of California, Berkeley. Wilt L. Idema is Professor of Chinese Languages and Literatures at Leiden University.
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