"The subjects of Pu Songling's short story collection include supernatural creatures, natural disasters, magical aspects of Buddhism and Daoism, and Chinese folklore"--Provided by publisher.
In his collection of 494 short stories that delve into the supernatural, folklore, and sometimes just the odd, Songling (1640-1715) sought to educate and entertain, but also to criticize the bureaucratic structure of China during the early Qing dynasty. Sondergard (English and Asian Studies, St. Lawrence University, New York) presents first English translation of the entire collection, and includes a substantial introduction and footnotes explaining references. This is the first of six volumes; each (like this one) will contain 83 stories. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
