This Paperback Book item from Grove Press was reviewed on 9-Oct-2008.
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1) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. The original name of this story is Journey to the West. It is the Chinese equivalent of Grimm´s Fairy Tales. Like Snow White or other beloved Western fairy tales, every Chinese child knows this epic story of the Monkey King and his companions´ journey to the West to seek enlightenment. Along the way, these voyagers encounter demons, fairies and other fantastic characters.
I had heard this story many times when I was little and I am still enchanted by the story now that I am a parent. I highly recommend this book for both parents and children. Each chapter is a complete story so it´s a great bedtime read.¤ 2) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. The copy that Amazon sent was misbound at the printer: pages 119 through 150 appear twice in succession, while pages 151 through 182 are missing. My copy is the 46th printing of the 7th edition (Grove Press). Unless you can confirm in advance that your copy will be a corrected printing, or you are willing to return the book, I recommend getting the book where you can inspect it first.
(Note: I´m required to give the book a star rating in order to post this warning. Please discount this rating as an evaluation of the book´s content.)¤ 3) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. Some people know the character Son Goku, from the Japanese cartoon series Dragon Ball Z. Others are familiar with Pokemon´s Infernape. And still more know a similar character from a TV miniseries shown in the US in 2001 called The Lost Empire. Rumor has it that Jet Li will collaborate with Jackie Chan to portray a Sun Wukong-like character in the forthcoming movie The Forbidden Kingdom. What fans of these characters may not know, is that they are all based on China´s infamous Sun Wukong--or The Monkey King.
The tale of the Sun Wukong is one of the four major Chinese literary classics. His 81-chapter story, called Journey to the West (Xi You Ji), was written by Wu Chen-En in the 1500s. Monkey´s legend is based on the true story of a well-known monk, Xuan Zang (602-664), who traveled to Inida to bring the Sutra--the Buddhist holy book--to China to enlighten the people and improve their lives. In Journey to the West, however, reality gives way to a much more entertaining and fantastic version of the story.
Journey to the West is a hero´s quest, elaborated with Monkey´s supernatural powers, interlaced with Taoist and Buddhist practices and beliefs as well as common superstitions, embellished with fairy tales, monster stories, legends, and fables. Some of the chapters read like superhero comics, others like instructional Bible stories. Some parts of the story, as when Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy are hiding in a Temple and outwit the priests, are downright hilarious. The Sun Wukong legend can be read as a hero-journey-quest, a political and social satire of rebellion against a corrupt government, or as pure fancy. No wonder Journey to the West has endured for so long.
It´s hard to believe that as popular as Journey to the West has remained over the centuries, its author would never have admitted to writing it. Wu Chen-En was a scholar and a statesman. During the 1500s (Ming Dynasty), it was considered unfit for educated and high ranking men to read any kind of comic or popular literature. Wu was influenced in writing this tale by the super-hero stories he read secretly while in school.
The entertaining escapades of Sun Wukong have remained popular through the ages, inspiring operas, cartoons, and now movies. The tale has even spawned a Sun Wukong festival, which features recreations of many of his adventures, and a statue of Monkey stands at a Buddhist temple in Sau Mau Ping in Hong Kong. Chairman Mao was also a fan, who mentioned Monkey as a role model in many of his speeches. He said people should emulate Monkey´s fearlessness in thinking, doing work, striving for his objectives, and extricating China from poverty. Sun Wukong is well-known and well-liked in modern times among children in Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and Korea. I think Wu Chen-En would secretly be very pleased!
¤ 4) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. If you´re a Harry Potter fan, you´ll love the magic.
If you´re a college student, you´ll love the high-spirited freedom and roaming.
If you remember the ´60s, this book will remind you of a really good double-barrel Orange Sunshine trip, without any of the negatives.¤ 5) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. My father used to read this book to us as children and I have read it to all of mine. It is way more than just a story. The main story concerns an actual historical figure who was hugely significant as the monk who in the 7th century brought Mahayana Buddhism to China. In part the book is a teaching text, containing instructions on certain practices encoded into the story. The Monkey of course represents human consciousness which must be tamed before it can be useful, and the early part of the book contains an explanation of why this cannot be achieved by traditional Taoist methods alone. Having been controlled by the Buddha, Monkey is then able to gain mastery over Pigsy, who represents the gross physical body with all of its appetites. I am told that Arthur Waley´s 1935 translation, while making a rollicking story, may not be strictly accurate in the scholarly sense, but I think it makes such a great read that who cares? Not only is it readable, but although written in the Ming Dynasty, it reamins as fresh and lively as any contemporary novel. Look for the hidden meanings as you read it and learn.¤ 6) Paperback Book Monkey: Folk Novel of China by Grove Press. Probably the most popular book in the history of the Far East, this classic sixteenth century novel is a combination of picaresque novel and folk epic that mixes satire, allegory, and history into a rollicking adventure. It is the story of the roguish Monkey and his encounters with major and minor spirits, gods, demigods, demons, ogres, monsters, and fairies. This translation, by the distinguished scholar Arthur Waley, is the first accurate English version; it makes available to the Western reader a faithful reproduction of the spirit and meaning of the original. ¤Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 6-Nov-2008, 08021308609780802130860, 360-600-410-017-287-367-8 
Monkey: Folk Novel of China, Book, Image © Grove Press
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