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Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel . By Mark R. E. Meulenbeld. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015. 288 pages. Hardcover. isbn 978-0824838447. us $57.00.

Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel . By Mark R. E.... With his Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel , Mark Meulenbeld provides an inspiring study of the fundamental continuities that exist between vernacular fiction and exorcistic, martial rituals in the vernacular language. It deserves a permanent place on the bookshelves of scholars in the fields of Daoist studies, Chinese fiction, Chinese popular religion, and Ming history. The book has three main strengths. First, it is an unprecedented effort to interpret a major Chinese novel from a Daoist ritual perspective. Second, the book deeply engages the field of Chinese fiction studies and thus sheds light on the intellectual history of this academic discipline. Third, as a consequence of the above points, the book is highly provocative, deconstructing the conventional notion of literature and religion. The book begins with an analysis of the cultural sphere of the novel Canonization of the Gods ( Fengshen yanyi 封神演義). The key agent in this domain is the vernacular language utilized in late imperial Chinese novels and drama, and the martial or exorcistic rituals of local communities. Meulenbeld defines “demonic warfare” as martial methods that ritually construct the actual battles of mortal warriors paralleled by demon warriors. He http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Review of Religion and Chinese Society Brill

Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel . By Mark R. E. Meulenbeld. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015. 288 pages. Hardcover. isbn 978-0824838447. us $57.00.

Review of Religion and Chinese Society , Volume 3 (2): 274 – Nov 3, 2016

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2016 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
Subject
Book Reviews
ISSN
2214-3947
eISSN
2214-3955
DOI
10.1163/22143955-00302009
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

With his Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel , Mark Meulenbeld provides an inspiring study of the fundamental continuities that exist between vernacular fiction and exorcistic, martial rituals in the vernacular language. It deserves a permanent place on the bookshelves of scholars in the fields of Daoist studies, Chinese fiction, Chinese popular religion, and Ming history. The book has three main strengths. First, it is an unprecedented effort to interpret a major Chinese novel from a Daoist ritual perspective. Second, the book deeply engages the field of Chinese fiction studies and thus sheds light on the intellectual history of this academic discipline. Third, as a consequence of the above points, the book is highly provocative, deconstructing the conventional notion of literature and religion. The book begins with an analysis of the cultural sphere of the novel Canonization of the Gods ( Fengshen yanyi 封神演義). The key agent in this domain is the vernacular language utilized in late imperial Chinese novels and drama, and the martial or exorcistic rituals of local communities. Meulenbeld defines “demonic warfare” as martial methods that ritually construct the actual battles of mortal warriors paralleled by demon warriors. He

Journal

Review of Religion and Chinese SocietyBrill

Published: Nov 3, 2016

There are no references for this article.