The Three Sui Quash The Demons' Revolt

''The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt'' (; ), also translated as ''Quelling the Demons' Revolt'' and ''The Sorcerer's Revolt'', is a Chinese novel attributed to the 14th-century novelist Luo Guanzhong, although the earliest extant version was compiled between 1571 and 1589, possibly by Wang Shenxiu (). In 1620 Feng Menglong expanded the novel to forty chapters from the original twenty. A work in the ''shenmo'' genre, the novel blends comedy with the supernatural,Hanan 1981, p. 99 and is an early work of vernacular fiction.Hanan 1971, p. 201

The story is very loosely based on Wang Ze's failed 1047–48 rebellion during the Song dynasty.

Synopsis

The story is set in the Northern Song Dynasty. Wang Ze, a military commander, marries the sorceress Hu Yong'er. Hu was conceived after her mother burned an enchanted painting. She was taught magic from a fox spirit, enabling her to conjure armies with her spells.Lu 1959, p. 176 The three sorcerers, Zhang Luan, Bu Ji, and the Egg Monk Danzi Wang, join Wang after a series of adventures battling corrupt officials with their supernatural powers.Lu 1959, p. 177

Wang leads a revolt to overthrow the government with the help of the sorcerers. The three sorcerers grow disillusioned with Wang's impropriety and defect to the government forces headed by Wen Yanbo, who had arrived to suppress the rebels. The Egg Monk disguises himself as a monk by the name of Zhuge Sui and aids the imperial generals Ma Sui and Li Sui. Together, the Three Suis defeat Wang and end the rebellion.

History

Legends of Wang Ze and his revolt, a historical event, were popular since the Yuan Dynasty and commonly embellished with elements from Chinese mythology. The novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong is a shenmo novel loosely based on Wang's revolt and published in the 16th century. It is not certain if Luo is the genuine author of the novel. The appearance of ''lijia'', a social institution for local governance in rural areas, suggests that the text was written during or after the 15th century, but this may have been an alteration by a later editor. The original copies of the book attributed to Luo are lost. The only surviving works of Luo's earlier story are a revised edition published by Wang Shenxiu and the Nanjing Publishing House Shide tang. Three copies of the revised novel are still extant. It contains twenty chapters, separated into four ''juan'' (sections).

Feng Menglong wrote a new and longer version of the story to improve what he perceived as the novel's shortcomings. It was published by the studio Tianxu Zhai in 1620.Hanan 1971, p. 203 The first edition was anonymously written and released as a work by the original author, but the second edition revealed that Feng was the new writer.Hanan 1971, p. 204 His revision expanded the novel to forty chapters, of which fifteen precede the first chapter of the original novel. Parts of the older chapters were rewritten, or revised with entirely new passages. He provided backstories for many of the supporting characters that were introduced haphazardly in the original story. According to translator Nathan Sturman, Feng Menglong's version is one of the world's first psychological novels, which he compares to the Faust stories.

The novel was popular and critically acclaimed when it was originally released, but later faded into obscurity. Ota Tatsuo wrote the first extensive contemporary non-Chinese analysis of the work in 1967, and the scholarship and critical views of Patrick Hanan were important in following years.

Translations

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Adaptations

* '' Legend of Sealed Book'', a 1983 Chinese animation film
* 2023 “The Legend of the Sealed Book (The Magical Legend)”.

References

Citations

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt, The

Shenmo novels
Novels set in the Northern Song
Fictional depictions of Bao Zheng in literature
Works by Feng Menglong
Chinese comedy novels
Novels set in the 11th century
16th-century Chinese novels
Ming dynasty novels
Novels set in Hebei
Novels set in Kaifeng