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Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative (review)

Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative (review) Reviews 115 Rania Huntington. Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative. Cambridge (MA) and London: Harvard University Asia Center, 2003. 370 pp. Hardcover $45.00, isbn 0­674­01094­9. Focusing on late imperial Chinese narrative, this book explores the figure of the fox--"one particular society's conception of one kind of alien"--in the narratives of the Ming and Qing (p. 4). The author illustrates that the fox, as a creature who frequently violates boundaries of species, gender, and the metaphysical realm, reveals "the anxieties of late imperial culture" (p. 4). This study is an important contribution in at least two respects. First, it represents an integrative look at a wide range of narrative texts on the fox from the late sixteenth to the later nineteenth centuries. Second, the comparative approach, which draws examples from both Eastern and Western literary traditions, is informative and stimulating and adds a helpful dimension to this study of supernatural tales. The body of the argument is well constructed, with each chapter focusing on a particular boundary that is violated by the fox; moreover, subtitles within each chapter frame a clear structure for the discussion. The book contains an introduction, seven chapters, and a conclusion. The introduction http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png China Review International University of Hawai'I Press

Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative (review)

Jin, Lei.
China Review International , Volume 11 (1) – Jan 18, 2004
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Publisher
University of Hawai'I Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 University of Hawai'i Press.
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1527-9367
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Abstract

Reviews 115 Rania Huntington. Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative. Cambridge (MA) and London: Harvard University Asia Center, 2003. 370 pp. Hardcover $45.00, isbn 0­674­01094­9. Focusing on late imperial Chinese narrative, this book explores the figure of the fox--"one particular society's conception of one kind of alien"--in the narratives of the Ming and Qing (p. 4). The author illustrates that the fox, as a creature who frequently violates boundaries of species, gender, and the metaphysical realm, reveals "the anxieties of late imperial culture" (p. 4). This study is an important contribution in at least two respects. First, it represents an integrative look at a wide range of narrative texts on the fox from the late sixteenth to the later nineteenth centuries. Second, the comparative approach, which draws examples from both Eastern and Western literary traditions, is informative and stimulating and adds a helpful dimension to this study of supernatural tales. The body of the argument is well constructed, with each chapter focusing on a particular boundary that is violated by the fox; moreover, subtitles within each chapter frame a clear structure for the discussion. The book contains an introduction, seven chapters, and a conclusion. The introduction

Journal

China Review International – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Jan 18, 2004

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