Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Nine Cloud Dreamby Kim Man-jung
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher Series
Written in seventeenth-century Korea, this classic novel's wondrous story begins when a young monk living on a sacred Lotus Peak in China succumbs to the temptation of eight fairy maidens. For doubting his mother's Buddhist teachings, the monk is forced to endure a strange punishment: reincarnation as the most ideal of men. On his journey through this new life full of material, martial, and sensual accomplishments beyond his wildest dreams, each success brings him closer and closer to finally comprehending the fundamental truths of the Buddhist's teachings. Like Hesse's Siddhartha, The Nine Cloud Dream is an unforgettable tale exploring the meaning of a good life and the virtue of living simply with mindfulness. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)895.73Literature Literature of other languages Asian (east and south east) languages Korean Korean fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
Dry is the last thing this book is. A young Buddhist monk strays from his path and as a consequence is sent to Hell to be reincarnated, as are the eight fairies who caused his temptation. Reborn, they are all incredibly beautiful and epically talented (literally epically, their various talents are constantly being compared to legends of poetry, music, beauty, and wisdom in Chinese history, and generally coming out favorably). The whole thing doesn't seem like much of a punishment or lesson until you realize that it is all a commentary on the nature of reality, the three paths of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and Korean politics of the day.
Without these perspectives (which the introduction does a lot of work to establish), it can simply be read as a charming fairy tale, a vision of an idealized epoch of wise leaders and gracious women.
An important text in Korean culture, it can also shine some light on modern Korean literature and other arts. It connected some dots for me on things that had mystified me in K-dramas. I am glad that this was recommended to me, and that I read it! ( )