(ISBN-13: 9780521102810)

A study of the early versions of the classic Chinese novel known to readers in English as Monkey. Dr Dudbridge examines a long tradition of earlier versions in narrative and dramatic form through which the great episodic cycle slowly took shape. The two main fields of interest are popular culture and folklore and the development of Chinese vernacular literature. Dr Dudbridge provides a very thorough survey of present knowledge about the whole topic and discusses critically a good deal of theorising about it. This is a study for experts. It uses Chinese characters, both in text pages and in the bibliography, which is very extensive. The plates reproduce paintings, carvings and sections of text relevant to the tradition.

List of illustrations; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. The first reflections of a popular cycle; 3. A Hsi-yu chi fragment in the Yung-lo ta-tien; 4. Fragments of Hsi-yu chi stories in Pak t'ongsa onhae; 5. Early dramatic versions of the story; 6. Reflections in the Hsias-shih Chen-k'ung pao-chuan; 7. Putting the sources to use; 8. The white ape; 9. Monkey's in tsa-chu litertaure; 10. Wu-chih-ch'i; 11. Further theories.