The Carnal Prayer Mat
(LI YU)
One of the great classics of Chinese erotica, The Carnal
Prayer Mat certainly gets pretty raunchy in places. It stands out not for
this, however, but for its brilliant comedy and satire; it could be read as a
sparklingly witty light novel even by those without an interest in erotica.
li Yu begins with a chapter explaining that he''s actually arguing puritan
values,making use of lechery in putting a stop to lechery... He
then introduces the Zen priest Lone Peak, who doesn''t ask for alms, explicate
the scriptures, or live on a mountain ? and who fails to deter our hero, the
Scholar Vesperus, from a life of lechery.
The Carnal Prayer Mat goes on to describe Vesperus'' exploits. He
marries, debauches his innocent wife, and then sets off seeking amorous
adventure, leaving her in the care of his stern father-in-law. He befriends the
Knave (an honorable thief), who agrees to help him find and seduce the most
beautiful women. But first he has to remedy a serious deficiency, finding an adept
to help him with a penis enlargement...
That problem solved, Vesperus devotes himself to six far from unwilling
women. But it is his relationships with them, their relationships with one
another and the social setting which provide most of the entertainment, not the
raw sex.
There has to be retribution to preserve the moral balance, but in Li Yu''s
perverse vision this turns out to involve further debauchery. Vesperus
eventually returns to Lone Pine, where Li Yu wraps up his novel with an
appropriate conclusion ? well, one that is appropriate given that, as he says: This truly is a book that mocks everything!
Li Yu includes brief authorial comments at the end of some chapters, in
which he praises himself immodestly, prods fun at his critics, and otherwise
entertains himself and us. Patrick Hanan offers a ten page introduction and
unobtrusive footnotes which explain the literary references ? mostly used for
parody ? and a few untranslatable puns, but The Carnal Prayer Mat
really doesn''t need explanation.
Resumos Relacionados
- Prayer. Finding The Heart's True Home
- The Prayer Of Jabez
- A Strong Weapon Against Every Stronghold
- A Strong Weapon Against Every Stronghold
- The Life Of An Amorous Woman
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