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A review by steven_v
The Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh: The Classic Chinese Novel by Shi Naian
4.0
The Water Margin is a classic of Chinese literature. Written centuries ago and set during the Song dynasty, it is the story of 108 heroes who disobeyed the local and national political authority because it was corrupt. Through 70 chapters, one by one these wronged heroes gather at Liangshan Marsh, and from there they sally forth to mete out justice against the dishonorable government officials in various provinces around the area.
This particular edition is a translation, originally rendered in the mid-20th century, and now updated with modern spellings of the Mandarin language. It was admittedly difficult to get through, as there are so many different characters (108 protagonists, and probably nearly as many villains and a huge supporting cast), many with very similar (to an American reader) names, such as Shi Jin and Shi Qin. Characters may appear for a few chapters and not be seen again for 200 pages. More than once I had to go back and re-read a few pages to figure out who we were talking about.
However, the unifying character is the main leader of the bandits, Song Jiang, and by around the middle of the book, it clearly becomes primarily his story. He is a very interesting character, as he repeatedly offers to resign his post in favor of other bandit leaders, but stays on because they beg him to do so. He often releases his enemies and offers to let them join him, which they frequently do due to his honorable behavior. And there are a number of other interesting bandit leaders, such as Lu Da, who have important parts to play at various junctures.
The primary significance of this work, however, is not its entertainment value, which frankly waxes and wanes throughout (hence why it took me several months to finish), but rather, its insight into the culture of ancient China. Although the events are fictional, we see clear indications of the values and mores of Chinese culture at the time of the novel's writing (which was not during the Song dynasty but several centuries later). For a person seeking to gain insight into the Chinese culture of the past, this book is a valuable read.
This particular edition is a translation, originally rendered in the mid-20th century, and now updated with modern spellings of the Mandarin language. It was admittedly difficult to get through, as there are so many different characters (108 protagonists, and probably nearly as many villains and a huge supporting cast), many with very similar (to an American reader) names, such as Shi Jin and Shi Qin. Characters may appear for a few chapters and not be seen again for 200 pages. More than once I had to go back and re-read a few pages to figure out who we were talking about.
However, the unifying character is the main leader of the bandits, Song Jiang, and by around the middle of the book, it clearly becomes primarily his story. He is a very interesting character, as he repeatedly offers to resign his post in favor of other bandit leaders, but stays on because they beg him to do so. He often releases his enemies and offers to let them join him, which they frequently do due to his honorable behavior. And there are a number of other interesting bandit leaders, such as Lu Da, who have important parts to play at various junctures.
The primary significance of this work, however, is not its entertainment value, which frankly waxes and wanes throughout (hence why it took me several months to finish), but rather, its insight into the culture of ancient China. Although the events are fictional, we see clear indications of the values and mores of Chinese culture at the time of the novel's writing (which was not during the Song dynasty but several centuries later). For a person seeking to gain insight into the Chinese culture of the past, this book is a valuable read.