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mary_soon_lee's review
2.0
This is the final book of the five-volume Dent-Young translation of the Chinese classic usually known as "Water Margin," and includes a very helpful introduction. While I didn't care for this final volume, I came closer to liking it than I did with the middle three volumes.
As the Dent-Young introduction says, "the novel ends in disaster for the one hundred and eight. Given the ambivalence of their origin and a good deal of their behavior throughout it seems the only reasonable outcome...." Their grim fate is indeed a fitting reward for their reprehensible behavior, yet still there is a pathos to the sundering of the heroes' fellowship, all the more so as the corrupt officials remain unredeemed and firmly in power.
It is clear that the reader, or listener, was meant to be entertained by the heroes' exploits, which contain plenty of action, humor, and fantastical elements. Alas, I found the heroes too unlikable to root for them, yet the story was of interest to me on several fronts: the glimpses it offers into historical China, its intent to entertain, its use of poetry, the inclusion of several prominent woman warriors, the fantastical elements. I note also that the Dent-Yong translation reads easily, and this edition is nicely augmented by Ming dynasty illustrations.
Spoiler
The epic ends in slowly-unfolding tragedy, with most of the 108 heroes dying. Though they successfully quash a rebellion, few survive to be honored by the Emperor. After victory, Song Jiang, the leader of the 108 heroes, is poisoned by corrupt imperial officials, the same corrupt officials who played a villainous role through the five volumes. In a magical dream, Song Jiang reveals to the Emperor that he was poisoned, but the officials worm their way back into favor.As the Dent-Young introduction says, "the novel ends in disaster for the one hundred and eight. Given the ambivalence of their origin and a good deal of their behavior throughout it seems the only reasonable outcome...." Their grim fate is indeed a fitting reward for their reprehensible behavior, yet still there is a pathos to the sundering of the heroes' fellowship, all the more so as the corrupt officials remain unredeemed and firmly in power.
It is clear that the reader, or listener, was meant to be entertained by the heroes' exploits, which contain plenty of action, humor, and fantastical elements. Alas, I found the heroes too unlikable to root for them, yet the story was of interest to me on several fronts: the glimpses it offers into historical China, its intent to entertain, its use of poetry, the inclusion of several prominent woman warriors, the fantastical elements. I note also that the Dent-Yong translation reads easily, and this edition is nicely augmented by Ming dynasty illustrations.
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