A New Account of the Tales of the World: Gossip Weekly of the Northern and Southern Dynasties

I've always thought that A New Account of the Tales of the World is basically a gossip magazine from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, something Liu Yiqing and his household of hangers-on put together after meals when they had nothing better to do: So-and-so isn't as good-looking as so-and-so; so-and-so is rumored to be having an affair with so-and-so; so-and-so got into another huge argument with so-and-so...that sort of thing. Men love gossiping about women, but they don't realize that when men gossip, they're even worse than women. Just look at the people who produce and run all those gossip magazines: most of them are men. From A New Account of the Tales of the World to Time magazine, it's always been that way. So don't think only serious literature counts as literature. If you've got talent and take your writing seriously, even a gossip magazine can become a classic that lasts for generations! Liu Yiqing's gossip was relatively straightforward. If it were published today, the headlines would look like this: “Performance Artist Ni Heng Streaks at Annual Political Party” “Fan Rampage Ends in Tragedy: Superboy Champion Wei Jie Rushed to 110 After Falling Ill” “Premier Xie An and His Wife Clash Over Child Rearing” “New Flame and Old Love Face Off in Prime Minister Jia Chong's Love Triangle” “Xun Fengqian and His Beautiful Wife Caught Putting on a Steamy Show in Public” “Whose Kid Stole the Wine? The Zhong and Kong Families Accuse Each Other of Passing Off an Impostor” “Ministers Zhou and Yu Trade Insults, Sparking a New Nationwide Diet Craze” “Cao Entertainment's Top Singer Frozen Out and Blacklisted for Acting Like a Diva”