The White Snake and Her Son

A Translation of the Precious Scroll of Thunder Peak

Author: Bai She Zhuan English 2009

A cornerstone of Chinese popular culture, the legend of the White Snake the admirable demon who loves her victim has been continually rewritten, reinterpreted, and readapted for over five hundred years. This title opens a window into the variety of pre-modern Chinese popular literature.

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A cornerstone of Chinese popular culture, the legend of the White Snake – the adorable demon who loves her victim – has been continuously rewritten, reinterpreted, and re-adapted for over five hundred years. The Precious Scroll of Thunder Peak was one of the most popular Nineteenth century versions of the legend. Idema's introduction traces the evolution of the legend and places the translated texts in the history of Chinese popular literature and culture.

Critic Reviews

“This slim volume actually contains a microcosm of premodern Chinese literature in which we see the growth and transformations of a core theme through several genres. We thereby learn much about the story of White Snake, of course, but this approach also has much to teach us about the nature and dynamics of Chinese popular literature in general--and about the methodology of its study.--Philip Clart, University of Leipzig”

Both by introducing the legend in such artfully rendered translations and showing its evolution over time, Idema has opened an extraordinary window on traditional Chinese popular culture.

In keeping with his record, Idema's scholarship is outstanding. His ability to translate popular texts into comparably idiomatic English is an outstanding achievement. An extremely valuable text for teaching. --Hugh R. Clark, Ursinus College

These are very readable translations . . . [this] book would serve well as a textbook in Chinese folklore or religion classes as well as a sourcebook for the comparativist who knows little or no Chinese. --David Elton Gay, Indiana University, in the Journal of Folklore Research