Abstract
In prose narrative literature, story is the most ancient form of art. All nations and all cultures possess their own stories or tales that have been passed down from generation to generation. Anyone, from the childhood through to the old age in his life, should have at least listened to some stories, although he possibly has never made up stories or told stories. Stories, to a certain extent, can be regarded as an enlightening instructor and a textbook about life.
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Notes
- 1.
Su Dongpo (1037–1101 AD) is a great poet in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD).—Translator’s note.
- 2.
San Yan is an abbreviated title for the three collections of short stories compiled by Feng Menglong (1574–1646), a writer of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The three collections of shorts stories are Stories to Enlighten the World (also translated into Stories Old and New, Yu Shi Ming Yan), Stories to Caution the World (Jing Shi Tong Yan), and Stories to Awaken the World (Xing Shi Heng Yan).—Translator’s note.
- 3.
Er Pai is an abbreviated title for the two series of short stories compiled by Ling Mengchu (1580–1644), a writer of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The two series of short stories are Amazing Tales: First Series (Chuke Pai’an Jingqi) and Amazing Tales: Second Series (Erke Pai’an Jingqi).—Translator’s note.
- 4.
Ci: poetry written to certain tunes with strict tonal patterns and rhyme schemes and in fixed numbers of lines and words, originated in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and fully developed in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD).—Translator’s note.
- 5.
Ruhuo: (of storytelling scripts or professional storytellers in the Song and Yuan Dynasties) introductory story or verse before the main tale.—Translator’s note.
- 6.
Touhui: (of storytelling scripts or professional storytellers in the Song and Yuan Dynasties) introductory remarks before the main tale.—Translator’s note.
- 7.
Zhanghui style: A type of traditional Chinese novel divided into some chapters with each chapter headed by a couplet giving the gist of its contents. “Zhang” or “hui” in Chinese means “chapter”.—Translator’s note.
- 8.
Podao and ganbang: “podao” is a sword with a long blade and a short hilt wielded with both hands; “ganbang” refers to “rods and bars.” This phrase refers to one type of storytelling scripts in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), which mainly tells about wars involving the use of such weapons as swords, rods and bars in the form of short stories.—Translator’s note.
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Huang, Y. (2018). Folktales and the Evolution of Fiction. In: Narrative of Chinese and Western Popular Fiction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-57575-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-57575-8_3
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