ABSTRACT

In this major undertaking David Keenan translates and contextualizes over 100 tales from the Notes from the Hut for Examining the Subtle, a collection of 1,200 tales and observations by Chi Yun, one of eighteenth century China's leading intellectuals. By illuminating neglected aspects of the interaction between popular and elite cultures in late imperial China, this study portrays the rich connection between life and letters on the eve of the Western impact.

part I|26 pages

Tales about Chi Yün's Household

chapter 1|2 pages

Lord Ai-T'ang's Hobby 1

chapter 2|1 pages

Lions 8

chapter 3|1 pages

Grandmother Ch'en 14

chapter 4|1 pages

Taking Care of Servants 17

chapter 5|2 pages

Anomalies 19

chapter 6|1 pages

The Wetnurse's Tale 22

chapter 7|1 pages

My Aunt 23

chapter 8|1 pages

Home for the Examinations 25

chapter 9|1 pages

Sister Hui 27

chapter 10|1 pages

My Dog, Quattro 28

chapter 11|2 pages

Miss Kuo 30

chapter 12|1 pages

Miss Shen 36

chapter 13|1 pages

Her Ominous Poem 41

chapter 14|1 pages

Wen-Luan 42

chapter 15|1 pages

My Nephew's Widow 44

chapter 16|1 pages

My Daughter-In-Law 48

chapter 17|1 pages

My Daughter 49

chapter 18|1 pages

My Nephew 52

chapter 19|1 pages

My Son's Last Words 55

chapter 20|2 pages

Corrections 57

part II|18 pages

Tales from Members of Chi Yün's Household

chapter 21|2 pages

Scholarly Auras 1

chapter 22|1 pages

By the Book 9

chapter 23|1 pages

Latter Day Disciples 12

chapter 24|1 pages

Metamorphosis? 15

chapter 25|1 pages

Ghost Hunter 17

chapter 26|1 pages

Tiger Hunters 19

chapter 27|1 pages

The Machine Gun 23

chapter 28|1 pages

Eating Cats 24

chapter 29|1 pages

The Cook 25

chapter 30|1 pages

The Gig 26

chapter 31|1 pages

Value Judgments (I) 27

chapter 32|1 pages

Value Judgments (II) 28

chapter 33|1 pages

A Shansi Merchant 31

chapter 34|1 pages

The Heart 32

chapter 35|1 pages

Famine 33

part III|16 pages

Tales about Chi Yün's Colleagues

chapter 36|1 pages

Getting Directions 1

chapter 37|2 pages

A Ghost on the Book of Changes 4

chapter 38|1 pages

A Fox on Sagehood 15

chapter 39|2 pages

Stupid Magpies 17

chapter 40|1 pages

Location 21

chapter 41|1 pages

The Crossbow 25

chapter 42|1 pages

Taboos 29

chapter 43|1 pages

Mixed Success 34

chapter 44|1 pages

The Foxes' Gift 35

chapter 45|1 pages

Position 39

chapter 46|2 pages

Forebodings 40

part IV|48 pages

Tales from Chi Yün's Colleagues

chapter 47|2 pages

Life as a Pig 1

chapter 48|1 pages

The Hermit Ghost 2

chapter 49|1 pages

Infernal Discourse 5

chapter 50|1 pages

Fearless of Ghosts 6

chapter 51|1 pages

Fox Tenants 7

chapter 52|2 pages

Fox Teacher 8

chapter 53|1 pages

Ghostly Review 12

chapter 54|2 pages

A Ghost on Goodness 20

chapter 55|2 pages

Handicapping 22

chapter 56|1 pages

Quadra-Savers 23

chapter 57|1 pages

Unbeliever Mocked 25

chapter 58|1 pages

Ingrates In Hell 27

chapter 59|1 pages

Judicial Delays 29

chapter 60|1 pages

Master Han 30

chapter 61|1 pages

Saved by the Mirror 31

chapter 62|1 pages

The Naked Ghost 33

chapter 63|1 pages

The Cold Ghost 34

chapter 64|1 pages

Temptation 35

chapter 65|1 pages

The Faithful Ghost 37

chapter 66|1 pages

Soul Switching 39

chapter 67|2 pages

Black Magic 42

chapter 68|3 pages

An Evening of Fox Tales 45

chapter 69|1 pages

Two Near Suicides 48

chapter 70|1 pages

Fox Cure 52

chapter 71|2 pages

What Foxes Want (I) 54

chapter 72|1 pages

What Foxes Want (II) 56

chapter 73|1 pages

The Fickle Singer 57

chapter 74|1 pages

Another Fickle “Fox” 59

chapter 75|1 pages

Delusions 62

chapter 76|1 pages

Appearances 65

chapter 77|1 pages

The Imposter 67

chapter 78|1 pages

The Wrong Subpoena 69

chapter 79|2 pages

The Mirror of Deeds 72

chapter 80|1 pages

Infernal Harrassment 73

chapter 81|2 pages

Mother-In-Law Problems 75

chapter 82|1 pages

Abortion 79

part V|38 pages

Tales from and about Chi Yün's Neighbors

chapter 83|2 pages

Irking the Saints 1

chapter 84|1 pages

The Sunken Lions 7

chapter 85|1 pages

Suicide Prevention 8

chapter 86|2 pages

Eating Clerks 9

chapter 87|1 pages

Altruism Rewarded 11

chapter 88|1 pages

The Farm Wife and the Official 12

chapter 89|1 pages

A Lonely Ghost 14

chapter 90|1 pages

Haunted Cedars 16

chapter 91|1 pages

Mercenary Teachers 18

chapter 92|1 pages

A Ghost on the Three Teachings 19

chapter 93|1 pages

The Neo-Confucian Conscience 20

chapter 94|1 pages

Filial Transformation 21

chapter 95|1 pages

Yeti 22

chapter 96|1 pages

Punished by the Temple God 23

chapter 97|1 pages

Saved by the Temple God 25

chapter 98|1 pages

Defeating Rebels 26

chapter 99|1 pages

Roots of Rebellion 28

chapter 100|1 pages

Revenge 29

chapter 101|1 pages

The Rebels' Ghosts 31

chapter 102|2 pages

Unfilial Animals 33

chapter 103|1 pages

A Failed Suicide 34

chapter 104|2 pages

Kuo Liu 35

chapter 105|1 pages

Balancing Good and Evil 36

chapter 106|1 pages

Lü the Fourth 38

chapter 107|1 pages

Man Ao's Daughter 39

chapter 108|1 pages

Another Woman from Ho-Chien 40

chapter 109|2 pages

San-Pao and Ssu-Pao 41

chapter 110|1 pages

Breaking off an Engagement 42

chapter 111|1 pages

The Mysterious Kidnapping 43

chapter 112|2 pages

Dream Wife 44