Journey to the West

Can't get enough of Journey to the West? Want to find out more about the background and characters of the novel? Want to read some really good classical books? Then this is the section for you! Further reading for Journey to the West fans, hand-picked by yours truly! (Includes critical readings and fiction - or more accurately, fan fiction.)

In this, his only novel, author Tung Yueh (1620-1686), a monk and Confucian scholar, picks up the slapstick of the original tale and overlays it with Buddhist theory and bitter satire of the Ming government's capitulation to the Manchus. After a nod to Journey's storyteller format, Tung carries Monkey's quest into an evocation of shifting psychological states rarely found in pre-modern fiction. An important though relatively unknown link in the development of the Chinese novel and window into late Ming intellectual history, The Tower of Myriad Mirrors further rewards by being a wonderful read.'

- Editorial review from www.amazon.com

'Almost four hundred years before movies like "The Sixth Sense" shocked audiences with surprise endings, Tung Yueh's "Tower of Myriad Mirrors" was blowing away mid 17th century China with its own original brand of psyche-out plot twists. "Tower" was a gripping tale to its originally intended audience, and the story has stood the test of time and is read to this day due to its fantastic imagery and imaginative method of imparting Buddhist theory.'

'Tung Yueh wrote this 16-chapter novella (most Chinese novels are in excess of 100 chapters) as a supplement to the famous narrative "Journey to the West" as a way to explore the psyche of the Monkey character. It is elegantly written and conjures imagery that is beautiful and exotic as well as brutal and violent.'

'The Buddhist message of "Tower" is that one must strive to overcome the demons of desire within oneself - and this message is delivered by means of a fascinating journey through a dream world conjured up [in] Monkey's mind.'

'While "Tower of Myriad Mirrors" is not an easy read, it is a rewarding one. This edition is well translated and provides many helpful footnotes that will enable readers not well-versed in the background of Chinese vernacular religious stories or Buddhism to understand.'

- Quotations from Xoe Li Lu's review of this book

The Tower of Myriad Mirrors is a work based on Journey to the West, a kind of fanfiction, actually. Only this 'fic' was written at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and was written by the author to express his disillusionment and his anger towards the corrupt Ming government. The main character is Sun Wu Kong, but the author seems less inclined to threat him as a character than a vehicle he uses to express his issues and feelings. The focus of this story are the issues. Still, it is an interesting read for the fans of Journey to the West like us.

-Yuen

Click here for discussion and previews of the first few chapters, courtesy of a reader of this site.

Fictions of Enlightenment: Journey to the West, Tower of Myriad Mirrors, and Dream of the Red Chamber (Click on this link to buy)

By: Li Qiancheng

'Fictions of Enlightenment is the first book to examine the fascinating and intricate relationship between Buddhism and the development of Chinese vernacular fiction. Qiancheng Li brings Buddhist models to bear on the vision, structure, and narrative form of three classics of late imperial literature - Journey to the West, Tower of Myriad Mirrors, and Dream of the Red Chamber--arguing that by fashioning their plots after the narratives of certain Mahayana sutras, the novelists transformed Buddhist concepts into narrative structures. Within the traditional Chinese novel Li even defines a new genre: the fiction of enlightenment.'

"This groundbreaking study of this very important but long-neglected topic is well-researched, richly-documented, and finely-written."

Amazon.com Editorial Review & Book Description:

'Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang's intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are.

Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader's attention in on Yang's achingly familiar characters. There isn't an adolescent alive who won't be able to relate to Jin's wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.'

Lured in by the promise of some serious fantasy (as, I am sure, many kids who pick up this book will as well) I found a story about assimilation that is so brilliantly penned and carefully plotted that it rivals every notion of what a graphic novel can and can't do. Do you know someone who couldn't care less about this new format? Someone who thinks comic books can't convey the weight and intelligence of a proper novel? Thrust "American Born Chinese" into their arms immediately, if not sooner. If I were to choose a single graphic novel to grace every library's children's room nationwide, you can bet that this is the puppy I'd put my faith in.

This graphic novel has three storylines, one of which is the story of Sun Wu Kong. It ties in with the other two storylines at the end, in a very surprising way... Don't worry, no spoilers here! Read the novel to find out what happens! :D

'Does an excellent job of introducing the character of the Monkey King, and tells the portions of the story that it covers well, and on a level comprehensible to children.'

If you have information or comments about books related to Xiyouji please tell me.