Memory Making in Folk Epics of China: The Intimate and the Local in Chinese Regional Culture

“This book provides a clearly written introduction to and study of an important tradition of Chinese folk epic. It is the first in-depth Western-language monograph on the long narrative ‘mountain songs’ from the Wu-dialect area around Lake Taihu. As such, it is an important contribution to the study of Chinese folk literature and regional culture. It should appeal to all lovers of Chinese and comparative literature. The topics treated in the songs should also be of interest to students of Chinese (and comparative) religion, Chinese social history, and Chinese gender studies. The book’s clear style makes it accessible to undergraduate students.” —Wilt L. Idema, Harvard University

"This is the first major English-language study to examine a local Han epic tradition. These folk epics of the lower Yangzi delta were only 'discovered' in the late twentieth century, making this work extremely valuable. McLaren’s focus on texts sung by individual singers brings the texture of her translations of the epics closer to the experience of hearing them as orally performed. In addition, McLaren does a good job of comparing various versions of each epic, further highlighting their emergent quality in performance. McLaren does an excellent job of giving us a picture of the sociohistorical contexts surrounding these epics, and tying all of those quotidian contexts to the symbolically powerful metaphor and lived experience of rice cultivation. The epics as translated and interpreted by McLaren offer an intimate view into the quotidian life, desires, and fears experienced by people over several generations in the lower Yangzi delta. We not only see sacred and secular songs and tales of culture heroes and rebel leaders but also amorous encounters and the subsequent tragedies to which they led. The book and selections from it could be used in college courses introducing Chinese cultural studies, traditional Chinese culture, regional traditions in China, comparative world epics, Chinese folk beliefs and/or comparative folk beliefs, as well as courses on East Asian oral traditions. It is quite accessible—there is something in it both for scholars and more general audiences." —Levi S. Gibbs, Dartmouth College