{"product_id":"idle-talk-under-the-bean-arbor-a-seventeenth-century-chinese-story-collection-paperback","title":"Idle Talk Under the Bean Arbor: A Seventeenth-Century Chinese Story Collection - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAina the Layman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eZiran The Eccentric Wanderer\u003c\/b\u003e (With), \u003cb\u003eRobert E. Hegel\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten around 1660, the unique Chinese short story collection \u003ci\u003eIdle Talk under the Bean Arbor\u003c\/i\u003e (Doupeng xianhua), by the author known only as Aina the Layman, uses the seemingly innocuous setting of neighbors swapping yarns on hot summer days under a shady arbor to create a series of stories that embody deep disillusionment with traditional values. The tales, ostensibly told by different narrators, parody heroic legends and explore issues that contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty a couple of decades before this collection was written, including self-centeredness and social violence. These stories speak to all troubled times, demanding that readers confront the pretense that may lurk behind moralistic stances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIdle Talk under the Bean Arbor\u003c\/i\u003e presents all twelve stories in English translation along with notes from the original commentator, as well as a helpful introduction and analysis of individual stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRobert E. Hegel is Liselotte Dieckmann Professor of Comparative Literature and professor of Chinese at Washington University. The translators are Lane J. Harris, Robert Hegel, Li Fang-yu, Li Qiancheng, Mei Chun, Lindsey Waldrop, Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, Alexander C. Wille, Xu Yunjing, and Zhang Jing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 03, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47454314627250,"sku":"9780295746111","price":59.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/1b8c00841f13c8a1e0bb93621ae530b7.webp?v=1778847883","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/idle-talk-under-the-bean-arbor-a-seventeenth-century-chinese-story-collection-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}