Library

This book is a collection of classical Chinese legendary novels written by Qu You (1347-1433), a scholar in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. It is the beginning of the revival of classical Chinese novels in the Ming Dynasty. The book consists of 4 volumes and 1 appendix, with a total of 21 legendary novels. From the perspective of the development of legendary novels, it is a bridge between the legends of the Tang Dynasty and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio". After being introduced to Korea, "Jiandeng Xinhua" not only circulated in its original form, but also had multiple translations during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Most of the content in this book is based on the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. It is mainly about marriage and love stories, and is full of ghostly and supernatural characters. Compared with the classical Chinese legends of the Song Dynasty, the plots are more novel and the diction is more beautiful. The story is rich in content, with twists and turns, and has high artistic quality. The narration of strange and erotic stories is full of interest. A few chapters express the desire of young men and women to have independent marriages, which reflects from the side the unfortunate experiences brought to the people by the war in the late Yuan Dynasty. The author uses this to achieve the purpose of "lawing the good and forbidding the evil, showing integrity and improving customs".