In other news I only have 15 chapters of Outlaws of the Marsh left. They’ve been given amnesty and charged with conquering land from the Liao Tartars, which I know little about. Mostly because they’ll get absorbed into the Mongolian empire in about a century.

#Reading #OutlaesOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #LiaoDynasty #LiaoTartars #Tartars #China #ChineseClassics #ChinaHistory

The description of the big lantern festival is remarkable. A neat glimpse of the culture of medieval China.

“Here, amid beautiful screens and revolving lights, pictures by famous artists graced the walls, and rare antiques and intricate toys were placed on view.”

1/5

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #China #Medieval #MedievalChina #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #LanternFestival

I got a new copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Moss Roberts, Chinese Classics). I don’t see any credit for these illustrations, but I very much appreciate them. It definitely helps to know which are the major characters when you read.

My previous copy was lent out and never returned.

#Literature #ChineseClassics #ThreeKingdoms #RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms #Reading #MossRoberts

Xu Ning has a jingle for how to fight with a barbed lance.

“Four parries, three hooks, seven in all,
Nine changes in total weave a magic spell,
At step twenty-four parry forward and back,
At step sixteen do a big turn as well.”

I’m sure it’s more helpful when you’ve seen the exercise.

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics
#OutlawsOfTheMarsh #AllMenAreBrothers #WaterMargin #XuNing

Sometimes Outlaws of the Marsh feels long and a bit repetitive, certain patterns repeat. But then you come across a unique section that’s incredible.

Chapter 56, Shi Qian the Flea on a Drum’s theft of Xu Ning’s ancestral armor is fantastic and really should be a scene in a movie or anime.

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #FleaOnADrum #ShiQian #Heist #MissionImpossible

As the fortress grows every once in awhile you need a page or two to describe the new organization and command structure.

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #Organization #OrgChart #JustOutlawThings

Wikipedia has a list of the 108 heroes of Outlaws of the Marsh. But sometimes the translated nickname doesn’t match my book. I suspect my book has better translations. Examples:

Yan Shun — W: Multicolored Tiger, B: Elegant Tiger
Hu Sanniang — W: Ten Feet of Blue, B: Ten Feet of Steel
Kong Ming — W: Hairy Star, B: Comet
Du Qian —W: Touching the Sky, B: Skyscraper

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #Nicknames

Since the Fairy Queen keeps calling Song Jiang “Star Lord”, I can’t help but think that he later ascends to be Master of the Sun and in the future makes Peter Quill the next Star Lord.

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #Marvel #StarLord #SongJiang #HeadCanon #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers

While it’s been satisfying to highlight the heroes in Outlaws of the Marsh, it does get a little complicated in the big scenes where over twenty characters are mentioned in a single page.

Conveniently most of the groups are listed in rank, although occasionally they are not.

#Reading #Literature #ChineseClassics #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #AnnotateEveryBook

There’s a surprising amount of attempted cannibalism in Outlaws of the Marsh. I’ve lost track of how many people have been drugged at an inn and almost butchered for meat, only to be recognized at the last minute and revived.

#Literature #ChineseClassics #OutlawsOfTheMarsh #WaterMargin #AllMenAreBrothers #AllMenTasteLikePork #Cannibalism