The Sōushén Hòujì: Latter Notes on Collected Spirit Phenomena Attributed to Táo Yuānmíng (365–427)

The Soushen houji (Latter Notes on Collected Spirit Phenomena), attributed to the celebrated poet Tao Qian (365-427), is a compilation of anecdotes and stories known as zhiguai ('records of the anomalous') that document strange and unusual phenomena the author observed in his lifetime. Intended to serve as a sequel to Gan Bao's (d. 336) Soushenji (Collected Spirit Phenomena), the original text was lost but was reconstructed in the late Ming dynasty. This volume presents an annotated translation of the entire Ming version of the Soushen houji as well as of an additional set of surviving stories that were identified and restored to the text by the modern scholar Li Jianguo. The book also includes a history of the Soushen houji text, an examination of its linguistic style and characteristics, a discussion of the historical nature of its contents and how it fits into the zhiguai genre, providing a window onto medieval Chinese society and culture, and a brief overview of recent zhiguai scholarship to guide readers who hope to continue their exploration of the genre. The Sōushen houji 搜神後記 (Latter Notes on Collected Spirit Phenomena), attributed to the celebrated poet Tao Qian 陶潛 (365-427), is a compilation of anecdotes and stories known as zhiguai 志怪 ('records of the anomalous') that document strange and unusual phenomena the author observed in his lifetime. Intended to serve as a sequel to Gān Bǎo's 干寳 (d. 336) Sōushenji 搜神記 (Collected Spirit Phenomena), the original text was lost but was reconstructed in the late Ming dynasty. This volume presents an annotated translation of the entire Ming version of the Sōushen houji as well as of an additional set of surviving stories that were identified and restored to the text by the modern scholar Lǐ Jianguo 李劍國. The book also includes a history of the Sōushen houji text, an examination of its linguistic style and characteristics, a discussion of the historical nature of its contents and how it fits into the zhiguai genre, providing a window onto medieval Chinese society and culture, and a brief overview of recent zhiguai scholarship to guide readers who hope to continue their exploration of the genre. "His translation presents the text mostly "as is," so to speak, and does not restructure it to match Lǐ Jiànguó's new collation. This allows modern readers to experience the text as a whole, in the shape it took under the hand of traditional editors, the good stories and the mediocre ones, the longer and the shorter, unmitigated by the preferences and selection choices of modern scholars. Thus, the present transla- tion serves to represent a kind of time-capsule of the traditional take on the text and its original arrangement, or at least the arrangement received by late tradition, while also including the twelve additional passages restored by Lǐ Jiànguó. Certainly, the various details provided in the notes to each translated passage remain quite accurate and useful and generally have not been superseded by the few representative translated passages that occur in recent anthologies and studies in English "-- Provided by publisher "The 'Sōushén hòujì' is a compilation of anecdotes and stories known as zhìguài that document strange and unusual phenomena. The original text was lost but was reconstructed in the late Míng dynasty. This volume presents an annotated translation of the entire Míng version as well as of an additional set of surviving stories that were identified and restored to the text. The book also includes a history of the 'Sōushén hòujì' text, an examination of its linguistic style and characteristics, a discussion of the historical nature of its contents, and a brief overview of recent zhìguài scholarship to guide readers who hope to continue their exploration of the genre."--taken from back cover Abbreviations -- Introduction to the Published Edition of this Translation -- Selected Post-1986 Scholarship on zhìguài and the Sōushén hòujì -- Part I: 1. History of the Sōushén hòujì Text -- 2. Characterizing the Sōushén hòujì -- Part II: Translation of the Sōushén hòujì -- Appendix 1. The Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù Notice for the Sōushén hòujì -- Appendix 2. List of Entries by Title and Collation of Lǐ Jiànguó's Redaction -- Bibliography -- Index Dedication Contents Abbreviations Introduction to the Published Edition of this Translation Part One 1. History of the Sōushén hòujì Text 2. Characterizing the Sōushén hòujì Part Two Translation of the Sōushén hòujì Translator’s Postface Appendix 1. The Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù Notice for the Sōushén hòujì Appendix 2. List of Entries by Title and Collation of Lǐ Jiànguó’s Redaction Bibliography Index to Part One Index to Part Two, the translated stories This volume presents an annotated translation of the entire Ming version of the Soushen houji (Latter Notes on Collected Spirit Phenomena) attributed to the celebrated poet Tao Qian (365-427), a compilation of stories known as zhiguai (records of the anomalous) documenting strange and unusual phenomena the author observed in his lifetime. This volume presents an annotated translation of the entire Míng version of the Soushen houji (Latter Notes on Collected Spirit Phenomena) attributed to the celebrated poet Tao Qian (365-427), a compilation of stories known as zhiguai (records of the anomalous) documenting strange and unusual phenomena the author observed in his lifetime.