{"product_id":"the-plum-in-the-golden-vase-or-chin-ping-mei-volume-three-the-aphrodisiac-9780691150185","title":"The Plum in the Golden Vase Or, Chin P'Ing Mei, Volume Three: The Aphrodisiac","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe third volume of a celebrated translation of the classic Chinese novel\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is the third volume in David Roy's celebrated translation of one of the most famous and important novels in Chinese literature. \u003ci\u003eThe Plum in the Golden Vase\u003c\/i\u003e or, \u003ci\u003eChin P'ing Mei\u003c\/i\u003e is an anonymous sixteenth-century work that focuses on the domestic life of Hsi-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly mobile merchant in a provincial town, who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines. The novel, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a landmark in the development of the narrative art form-not only from a specifically Chinese perspective but in a world-historical context. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten during the second half of the sixteenth century and first published in 1618, \u003ci\u003eThe Plum in the Golden Vase\u003c\/i\u003e is noted for its surprisingly modern technique. With the possible exception of \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e (ca. 1010) and \u003ci\u003eDon Quixote\u003c\/i\u003e (1605, 1615), there is no earlier work of prose fiction of equal sophistication in world literature. Although its importance in the history of Chinese narrative has long been recognized, the technical virtuosity of the author, which is more reminiscent of the Dickens of \u003ci\u003eBleak House\u003c\/i\u003e, the Joyce of \u003ci\u003eUlysses\u003c\/i\u003e, or the Nabokov of \u003ci\u003eLolita\u003c\/i\u003e than anything in earlier Chinese fiction, has not yet received adequate recognition. This is partly because all of the existing European translations are either abridged or based on an inferior recension of the text. This translation and its annotation aim to faithfully represent and elucidate all the rhetorical features of the original in its most authentic form and thereby enable the Western reader to appreciate this Chinese masterpiece at its true worth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eReplete with convincing portrayals of the darker side of human nature, it should appeal to anyone interested in a compelling story, compellingly told.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Tod Roy\u003c\/b\u003e (1933-2016) was professor emeritus of Chinese literature at the University of Chicago. His monumental five-volume translation of the \u003ci\u003eChin P'ing Mei\u003c\/i\u003e was completed in 2013.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50460726133010,"sku":"9780691150185","price":41.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f7ca46e3-ca9b-40c7-a8a7-7292c583d58e.jpg?v=1730046436","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-plum-in-the-golden-vase-or-chin-ping-mei-volume-three-the-aphrodisiac-9780691150185","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}