This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost. For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE:
In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-favorite-historical-fiction-books.html
Links to reviews of books mentioned (where applicable):
Related Playlists:
* Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI
* History Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x52uI39vSXVrJvUFjdN9QkL&si=IkwsRH5HTXptL1kk
* Historical Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6aPjnfogXT4vyaZ6934DkU&si=thpc_WSscVPUaJWr
* My Favorite Historical Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6y_ou1tIJAMLBfwYyxArww&si=poywaEzvbQlFE0Bl
1 comment:
3 Kingdoms is also pretty much the only Chinese classic novel people read, the other ones people seem to watch adaptations at best - as far as I could see. I see nobody reads Water Margins (even though many in my country watch its TV series adaptation); I see nobody reads Journey to the West (even though it's greatly popular as a TV series adaptation where I live); I see nobody reads Hongloumeng (nor there is anybody watches its adaptation). Same seems to be similar in Japan, judging by their media and internet, except that I don't think they even watch any of the aforementioned Chinese adaptations.
That is to say, people from the West aren't missing much once they finished 3 Kingdoms - as far as anything remotely high-brow is concerned. Unless you want to read wuxia as well. On one hand wuxia [1] is tremendously popular in my country (and so should it be in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, dunno if even in Korea [?]; don't seem to be so in Japan however). On the other hand, well, it's like watching Marvel or reading Game of Thrones.
[1] genre of people wielding swords and slashing each other for fun like some incredible acrobats who can jump up and down and diagonally at ease
I wasn't really being ironic when I said Chinese canon isn't worth reading. For people who have no especially niche interest, of course. (Should have added Russian literature is always worth reading though).
...then again, given my own limited expertise that focuses narrowly on Japanese p0rn0graph1c video games, what I have to say will always be on the lowest priority, unless they concern those games.
Actually I see Hongloumeng being touted a lot on English internet - maybe people in the West do like it? Maybe people there have never seen Asian family dynamics so they find it intriguing whereas readers over here only find it dry and having mostly lame familial quarrels. So one more novel for the pretenti- I mean high-brow readers then. This reminds me of some 4ssh0l3 who loved to lectured on a female yunqing [2] reader as latter said she didn't like the novel: "Don't chu know the novel is a classic..." - as if the status is something to banish people from having a comment of dislike. All the meanwhile no value of the novel is mentioned or articulated at all by the end of the day.
[2] genre of sentimental, mawkish, romantic novels targeting female readers (and containing male characters who when they aren't some of the hottest stars then just happen to be some sort of CEO who makes 5 million bucks per year and they all love the female protagonist irregardless)
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For a narrative (cultural) history rec, I rec Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence.
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