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Monkey (Penguin Classics)
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Synopsis
Monkey depicts the adventures of Prince Tripitaka, a young Buddhist priest on a dangerous pilgrimage to India to retrieve sacred scriptures accompanied by his three unruly disciples: the greedy pig creature Pipsy, the river monster Sandy and Monkey. Hatched from a stone egg and given the secrets of heaven and earth, the irrepressible trickster Monkey can ride on the clouds, become invisible and transform into other shapes skills that prove very useful when the four travellers come up against the dragons, bandits, demons and evil wizards that threaten to prevent them in their quest. Wu Ch'eng-en wrote Monkey in the mid-sixteenth century, adding his own distinctive style to an ancient Chinese legend, and in so doing created a dazzling combination of nonsense with profundity, slapstick comedy with spiritual wisdom.
Dear Monkey!
Review date: 2008-06-26 Rating: 8 out of 10
The basic premise of this novel, in Chinese pinyin "xiyouji" which literally translates to "Journey to the West", sees a group of four set out on an epic journey to recover the Buddhist sutras from India and bring them to China. On the way they encounter various monsters, ghosts and demons trying to stop them. The four represent different sides of human nature, their journey to the "West" (actually India) mirrors the human journey of life and whilst Heaven is awash with beaurocracy, the Earth is littered with challenges and obstacles.
The Monkey King is perhaps the most famous character of all, bold, proud, brave and cunning, equipped with a magical staff, the ability to transform himself into over 70 different shapes and a whole host of magical powers. Tripitaka is the monk, humble, kind and naive, the epitome of the Buddhist devotee, but not averse to reciting a curse that can keep Monkey under control. Pigsy is the third main character, representing greed, sloth and lust, usually to be found eating, sleeping or chatting up the ladies. Sandy is the fourth, but pretty non-decript member of the group.
The story is humorous and satirical. It contains a lot of references to Chinese history and elements of Buddhism and Taoism (Daoism) which can be a bit confusing if you have no previous knowledge. Arthur Waley's translation is only a fraction of the original tome however, and those looking for a genuine translation of equal depth to the original should look elsewhere. Think of this as a distillation of some of the best bits.
Perhaps you need to live in China to realise just how important this novel is, not just as a piece of historical writing, but also in the Chinese contemporary imagination. If you're interested in China and Chinese cultural mythology, you should definitely put this on your reading list!
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Reviews
Fantastic intro
Review date: 2008-06-17 Rating: 10 out of 10
I read this in practically no time at all. If you're nervous about reading the unabridged Journey to the West and just want to see if you can get into Monkey, this is the book for you.
lovely introduction to chinese litterature
Review date: 2007-03-03 Rating: 8 out of 10
This is a wonderful translation/adaptation of a seminal Chinese novel. Monkey is much shorter than its original [`Journey to the West'] but it has been masterfully adapted.
For someone who is interested in getting acquainted with Chinese literature but might be a little intimidated by the thousands of pages in which many of those novels carry on, 'Monkey' is a great introduction. I was so enthralled by this book that I moved on and I read the whole `Journey to The West'. Now, having read both I must admit that the adaptation was exquisite. It is highly recommended to read the `Journey to The West' if you have the time but if not then make sure you find some time for `Monkey'. It is very entertaining, it has kept the plot focused and it will get you addicted to Chinese literature for life.
It is also a great introduction to Chinese culture as it presents chinese mythology much more explicitly than most novels do. And for the Kung Fu fans there are plenty of battles and info on the martial arts mentality. [Not being a Kung fu fan myself I almost got addicted just by reading the book].
Entertaining, but too abridged
Review date: 2005-10-14 Rating: 6 out of 10
Like many of the other reviewers, I read 'Monkey' largely due to my nostalgia for the TV series. I was intrigued by the 'true' story behind the adventures of Sandy, Pigsy and Monkey, so decided to give Wu's book a go. Originally written as 'Journey to the West' in the sixteenth century, it is an epic myth about the journey of a priest (Tripitaka) to retrieve some sacred Buddhist texts from India and return to China. For his protection, he is assigned three spirits who have all fallen out of favour with heaven: the gluttonous Pigsy, the ponderous Sandy and the mischievous Monkey. The book begins with the story of how Monkey earned his disfavour in a magical narrative which switches between his life as a king on earth and his antics in heaven. Then it moves on to his discovery by the priest, and their adventures in seeking out the scriptures, adventures that includes battles with evil demons, deceitful kings and angry gods.
'Monkey' is a fairy tale laced with Buddhist mythology and imagery. Although the language is fairly simple (the book can be read by children - at least ones who don't mind a bit of violence) there is a richness to the style that effortlessly conjures up an ancient oriental scene in the reader's mind. The story itself, like any good fairy tale, is full of holes and occasionally non-sensical, but this adds to the magical feel. In addition, the Buddhist backdrop adds a layer of complexity and depth that belies 'Monkey's status as a mere fairy tale. I learnt a lot from reading 'Monkey', and would recommend it as a good primer for learning about ancient Buddhism.
All of these positives are, unfortunately, overshadowed by one enormous negative. As the blurb points out, Wu Ch'en-en's 'Journey to the West' is an epic myth, with many separate adventures. It has been the tradition in translations to reproduce all of the chapters in abridged form. 'Monkey' doesn't do this. Instead, it reproduces a few chapters completely and ignores many others. Specifically, the chapters concerning concerning Monkey have been left in. This has two negative effects on the book. Firstly, there are obvious gaping holes where consecutive chapters appear disjointed and intervening narrative is clearly missing. This is not a terrible omission, because the narrative is so unlikely anyway that a few gaps don't disrupt it too badly, but it is annoying. Secondly, it means that Pigsy is a very minor character, and Sandy hardly figures at all, presumably because chapters in which they are prominent have been ignored. According to the blurb, all of Tripitaka's companions have allegorical significance, but it is impossible to get a sense of what Sandy and Pigsy contribute from this book. Because of it, 'Monkey' loses a lot of meaning from the original 'Journey to the West'. Instead it becomes just a fairy tale, albeit a very entertaining one.
One of the four classics of Chinese Literature
Review date: 2003-07-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
I read this after having read the excellent San Guo Yan Yi (The Three Kingdoms/Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which I would highly recommend) and, having known a bit about Chinese culture, language and literature I went into it knowing what to expect and was delighted that it had surpassed my expectations.
Most often referred to as Xi You Ji or, Journey to the West, it is difficult to appreciate why the author chose to call it "Monkey". While the character of Monkey does occupy much of the first part of the book and remains the strongest and, I'm guessing, most people's favourite character throughout, he is still only part of the entourage of characters who face the Journey. Still, what's in a title?
This book is replete with humour, both obvious and subtle. It would help if you had a certain understanding of Chinese History and culture in your reading of this book to understand the many references contained within. However, even if you don't know a jot about anything to do with China, you will still find this book immensely enjoyable and full of quotable wisdoms.
It details first the story of the birth of monkey and his fate and then the birth of "Tripitaka" and then begins the Journey to the West. It might often appear a bit disjointed, leaping around topics. For example, you begin with the story of Monkey, and are then thrown into a (seemingly) completely unrelated topic. But the way Wu Cheng'An has worked all these plots into a coherent story is truly brilliant. Instead of finding it disjointed, I found the the jumps kept the book very exciting. While there are certain parts of the plot which I assume are composed according to the epic style of the time (for example, all the battles take place in rounds, or bouts, and seem to follow a standardised format of engage and retreat/chase), these don't detract anything from the novel to one who is used to epic literature (for example, the battles in the Iliad followed a pattern).
In following the path of Tripitaka, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy you invariably pick your favourite for each has their own individual personalities and stock epithets. Pigsy is fat and glutenous and fights with a rake (!) and perhaps is one of the funniest charicatures in the book. Monkey is a mischief maker, both loveable and naughty with fabulous powers. Sandy... doesn't really do much. Tripitaka is hilarious simply because he is portrayed as the hero of this book but spends most of his time being rescued by his disciples! It truly is riotous.
Thus, even if you fail to understand the relationships of the San Jiao (Three teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism)or the nature of the bureaucracy (the way heaven mimics earth), you will still find this one of the funniest reads of your life.
Enjoy!
(The other three classics of Chinese literature are The Three Kingdoms, The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber and The Outlaws of the Marsh and I highly recommend all of them)
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Wu Ch'eng-En
Creators:
Arthur Waley (Translator)
Recording label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
EAN: 9780140441116
Binding: Paperback
Dewey decimal number: 895.1346
ISBN: 0140441115
Number of pages: 352
Publication date: 1973-03-29
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Published)