The Magic Love: Fairy Tales from Twenty-First Century China

Edited by Juwen Zhang

Series edited by Wolfgang Mieder

Published by: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers

Imprint: Peter Lang, International Academic Publishers

Sales Date: 2021-12-23

Hardcover

CA$137.30

Published: December 2021

Product Details

Imprint: Peter Lang, International Academic Publishers

Dimensions: 150.00 x 225.00

150.00 x 225.00 x 1.20 in

Hardcover

CA$137.30

ISBN: 9781433192678

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This book presents a unique collection of fairy tales from contemporary China, translated into English for the first time. Demonstrating the continuity of oral tradition throughout Chinese history, the thirty tales are selected according to the theme of "magic love." Many readers are familiar with European tales of love and family, but these Chinese tales have a very different emphasis. The structural differences are also striking: there are more tales with tragic endings, instead of the familiar "happily ever after," and often more tale types in one tale. They are fascinating to read and challenging in terms of both morphology and cultural symbolism. Unlike many collections of fairy tales, this book provides contextual information on the tellers, collectors, and time and location of collection, along with an introduction to the Chinese social and cultural background, and folkloristic approaches to fairy tale studies.

Juwen Zhang (Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania) is Professor of Chinese Studies and Folklore at Willamette University, a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, and President of the Western States Folklore Society. His recent publications include The Dragon Daughter and Other Lin Lan Fairy Tales and Oral Traditions in Contemporary China: Healing a Nation.

Map of Locations of the Storytellers – Acknowledgments – Jack Zipes: Preface: Glimmers of the Past and Future in Twenty- First Century Chinese Tales – Juwen Zhang: The Role of Matchmaking – In Love with the Fairy for Family Life – Sibling Love and Rivalry – In Love with the Supernatural – Epilogue – Bibliographic Notes on Tale Types and Sources – Bibliography.

“The Magic Love: Fairy Tales from Twenty-First Century China is a treasure trove of newly translated fairy tales and an important addition to fairy- tale studies. Zhang’s careful selection, translations, and contextualization invite readers to reflect on the essence of Chinese fairy tales and to rethink the fundamental concepts of family and love within the historical framework of storytelling tradition in China. An enlightening and enjoyable read.”
— Claudia Schwabe, Utah State University; Author of Craving Supernatural Creatures

“This welcome collection of fairy tales from China does a lot to challenge Eurocentric understandings of the genre and offers delightful tales from a contemporary oral tradition where love, fairies, family and wonder are not what we have learned to expect.”
— Cristina Bacchilega, University of Hawai’i; Co-editor of Inviting Interruptions: Wonder Tales in the 21st Century

“The compelling tales in The Magic Love were collected in the early 21st century from several master storytellers in various parts of China. Juwen Zhang’s thorough introduction offers new ways of understanding these contemporary yet traditional tales and challenges accepted ideas about folk tale scholarship.”
— Mark Bender, Ohio State University; Co-editor of The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature

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