The Classic Journey to the West

Journey to the West is a masterwork of ancient Chinese fantasy fiction and a landmark of romantic literature. With boundless artistic imagination, its creator constructed a dazzling, fantastical world and brought to life a cast of vivid, enduring characters, led by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. For centuries, readers have treasured the novel. From the perspective of literary reception and influence, Journey to the West has had such a profound impact on later literature chiefly because of its successful characterization and engaging plot. Yet the comic spirit running through the story is the novel’s defining artistic and aesthetic feature.

The story of Journey to the West consists mainly of two parts: Sun Wukong’s Havoc in Heaven and the Tang Monk and his disciples’ Journey to the West. These include the story of how their pilgrimage began and the Eighty-One Tribulations they face along the way. The novel’s plot is full of comedy. It carefully constructs comic clashes between its many characters and uses close, detailed writing to bring out humorous moments and create a powerful comic effect. In Chapter Seven, Sun Wukong urinates beside the Buddha’s finger to leave his mark, then boasts about it proudly in the Buddha’s presence. In Chapter Forty-Five, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing trick the three immortals Huli, Luli, and Yangli into drinking urine. In Chapter Sixty-Two, Sun Wukong transforms into the Bull Demon King to steal the Banana Leaf Fan, fooling Princess Iron Fan into coquettishly flirting with him and cuddling up to him in an affectionate embrace...