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veronian's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a_serpent_with_corners's review
I read all five volumes, but will include all of them in this review for convenience.
This was the last of the 'Big Four' that I read and I can't deny that I found it to be the most tiring one. It's episodic, like a lot of the Ming-Qing early novels, but the episodes themselves are quite repetitious. There are some moments that stand out vividly, and are justifiably widely remembered (the tiger killing, the Pan Jinlian episode, Li Kui getting bullied by Dai Zong, some of the more exciting attacks on enemy bases, etc.), but others often blend together. I think to some extent you just have to accept that the narrative structure of these novels were shaped by different forces from those that gave you the tastes and expectations that you have.
The characters tend to be very... consistent. There are so many characters that they often have one or two key distinguishing traits, which can make them seem flat. Again, I think this has a lot to do with how our (my?) expectations of characterisation in a novel is shaped by, for example, modern ideas about psychology. I found myself most interested in and able to remember characters who are in some way divided against themselves - who want to (or know they should) behave in a certain way, but who can't overcome themselves enough to do so. Lu Zhishen and Li Kui stand out most in this respect. I wonder if that is as much the case for readers at other times in history?
The morality in the novel is interesting - it seems like anything the 'good' characters do is good by default (whether that's giving bribes, framing someone for a crime, murdering children, cannibalism...), though the novels repeatedly and anxiously reassures the reader that our band of brigands would never think of trying to usurp the emperor.
The novel's considerable length has its own special effects - although it can be a slog at times, after spending so long with the novel there is a real sense of desolation and creeping despair as the 108 friends start to die or disappear one by one. The 108 spirits long divided must unite and the 108 spirits long united must divide, it seems...
Other points of interest include the supernatural episodes that occasionally intrude on the narrative - both in the framing device at the start, and one or two special dreams and omens that are recorded in the story. The relationship between writing and identity also comes up a few times in intriguing ways; these characters are forever getting into trouble by writing poems about their excessive ambitions in public places.
In terms of translation - the increasing preference for the characters' nicknames does succeed in making it easier to remember who's doing what, but may make it harder to discuss the novel with people who read it in the original, or to recognise when one of these characters is being alluded to in other works. This is probably a worthwhile sacrifice to retain a general readership. Putting the many poetic interludes in italic is also a nice idea - personally, I did read them, but there may well be other readers who are grateful for this formatting decision, which will make skimming over those sections much easier.
This was the last of the 'Big Four' that I read and I can't deny that I found it to be the most tiring one. It's episodic, like a lot of the Ming-Qing early novels, but the episodes themselves are quite repetitious. There are some moments that stand out vividly, and are justifiably widely remembered (the tiger killing, the Pan Jinlian episode, Li Kui getting bullied by Dai Zong, some of the more exciting attacks on enemy bases, etc.), but others often blend together. I think to some extent you just have to accept that the narrative structure of these novels were shaped by different forces from those that gave you the tastes and expectations that you have.
The characters tend to be very... consistent. There are so many characters that they often have one or two key distinguishing traits, which can make them seem flat. Again, I think this has a lot to do with how our (my?) expectations of characterisation in a novel is shaped by, for example, modern ideas about psychology. I found myself most interested in and able to remember characters who are in some way divided against themselves - who want to (or know they should) behave in a certain way, but who can't overcome themselves enough to do so. Lu Zhishen and Li Kui stand out most in this respect. I wonder if that is as much the case for readers at other times in history?
The morality in the novel is interesting - it seems like anything the 'good' characters do is good by default (whether that's giving bribes, framing someone for a crime, murdering children, cannibalism...), though the novels repeatedly and anxiously reassures the reader that our band of brigands would never think of trying to usurp the emperor.
The novel's considerable length has its own special effects - although it can be a slog at times, after spending so long with the novel there is a real sense of desolation and creeping despair as
Other points of interest include the supernatural episodes that occasionally intrude on the narrative - both in the framing device at the start, and one or two special dreams and omens that are recorded in the story. The relationship between writing and identity also comes up a few times in intriguing ways; these characters are forever getting into trouble by writing poems about their excessive ambitions in public places.
In terms of translation - the increasing preference for the characters' nicknames does succeed in making it easier to remember who's doing what, but may make it harder to discuss the novel with people who read it in the original, or to recognise when one of these characters is being alluded to in other works. This is probably a worthwhile sacrifice to retain a general readership. Putting the many poetic interludes in italic is also a nice idea - personally, I did read them, but there may well be other readers who are grateful for this formatting decision, which will make skimming over those sections much easier.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, Cannibalism, Death, Murder, Suicide, Violence, and War
mercedesveselka's review
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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