{"product_id":"a-topsyturvy-world-9780231208970","title":"A TopsyTurvy World","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Topsy-Turvy World\u003c\/i\u003e presents English translations of shorter late Ming and early Qing plays. Satirical and often earthy, these mostly one-act plays provide a glimpse of Chinese daily life and mores even as they question or subvert the boundaries of social, moral, and political order.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis treasure box of eleven short plays, most available in English for the first time, will delight anyone interested in early modern Chinese drama, culture, and society. Ranging from Buddhist charades to human puppet shows, from sword dances to drag masquerades, these thematically diverse and inventive plays are admirably translated with erudition and panache. -- Judith Zeitlin, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventeenth-Century Chinese Literature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA splendid expansion of the canon of traditional Chinese drama translations—the short plays offer a riotous deep dive into a world of laughter, while the scholarly commentary succinctly explores some of the fault lines of the early modern imagination. -- Patricia Sieber, coeditor of \u003ci\u003eHow to Read Chinese Drama in Chinese A Language Companion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA brilliant collection of rare and original works that provides a broad and varied view of Chinese performance traditions. The dominant leitmotif of these translations is the ingenuity and audacity with which writers subvert convention while questioning the sociopolitical order. -- Regina Llamas, translator of \u003ci\u003eTop Graduate Zhang Xie: The Earliest Extant Chinese Southern Play\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eZaju\u003c\/i\u003e plays of the Ming and Qing dynasties have long been a neglected area both in China and elsewhere. For that reason, this anthology is a timely translation. It provides new materials not only for general readers interested in premodern Chinese \u003ci\u003ezaju\u003c\/i\u003e plays but also for students and scholars to engage in further studies of the genre. -- Hongchu Fu, author of \u003ci\u003eChinese Drama\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eTable of Dynasties\u003cbr\u003e1. \u003ci\u003eCracking a Dumb Chan Riddle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2. \u003ci\u003eThe Mad Drummer: Thrice-Played Yuyang\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3. \u003ci\u003eChan Master Yu Has a Dream of Cuixiang\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4. \u003ci\u003eReal Puppets\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. \u003ci\u003eSublime Jokes from the Back of Beyond\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e6. \u003ci\u003ePinning Flowers in His Coiffure\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7. \u003ci\u003eA Song for a Laugh\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8. \u003ci\u003eRamblings with Magicians \u003c\/i\u003ein Lyrics and Songs\u003cbr\u003e9. \u003ci\u003eBlack and White Donkeys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10. \u003ci\u003eZaju\u003c\/i\u003e from the Studio of Singing on the Wind\u003cbr\u003e11. \u003ci\u003eSong of Dragon Well Tea\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAppendix: A List of Short Plays from the Period 1400 to 1850 Already Available in English Translation\u003cbr\u003eContributors\u003cbr\u003eReferences","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400375148887,"sku":"9780231208970","price":32.3,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231208970.jpg?v=1730470534","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-topsyturvy-world-9780231208970","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}