Gu Long reading group

[Dennis Chen]

As Han Solo mentioned there are quite a few Gu Long translations.

Let's all pick one. Then read them, perhaps a chapter a week or two and talk about it.

Who's in? Please, only the serious apply.

Take a look at the translations. List only one. By September 11th, I'll tally them up and we'll choose whomever get's the most votes.

[Han Solo]

Translated or untranslated ones?

I can't read chinese.

Count me in with the translated one though.

Han Solo

[Dennis Chen]

Definitely the translated ones. It will take me 5 years of hard dedication to read a series in Chinese.

[Cesare]

I'm all for it.

[xianzai]

Great idea! Could we stick to completed translations? Something such as LXF book 1?

[xianzai]

OK, if people don't want to read LXF book 1, what do you want to read?

[Han Solo]

Lets start with LXF Book 1.

Comments by next week for first few chapters.

Han Solo

[Dennis Chen]

Agreed. I thought there might not be enough interest...

[xianzai]

I'm up to chapter 2 on this rereading of LXF book 1. I appreciate that the translation seems to keep very close to the Chinese. It includes helpful notes explaining wordplay which would get lost in translation and it also explains some cultural references.

The story itself is fun and easy to visualize (in my mind's eye I see it as a Shaw Brothers Wuxia directed by Chu Yuan). There is a lot of humor in the story which translates well.

[xianzai]

A prominent element in the story is the drinking and talking about drinking. In some ways this is good as it ties the story to the hardboiled literary tradition. OTOH, given how Gu Long died, it's an unfortunate reminder.

I also find the 'author asides' a little strange. They seem to violate the 'show, don't tell' principle. Are they common in Chinese fiction?

[Cesare]

I have a problem with this "show, don't tell' thing acquiring a status of some kind of universal imperative. I think there's place for BOTH in literature. It all depends on how good you're at showing/telling - and what you have to show/tell.

[xianzai]

I have a problem with this "show, don't tell' thing acquiring a status of some kind of universal imperative. I think there's place for BOTH in literature. It all depends on how good you're at showing/telling - and what you have to show/tell.

I think there are better examples in later chapters/books, but this is the sort of thing I mean:

If you knew that a friend of yours was starving because he was poor but still complimented him for being a man of iron will and great pride that would rather die before resorting to beg.
If you knew that a friend of yours need a little money from you but instead only sent him a letter telling him everything is alright and how great of a thing for him to struggle through all of this is.
If you are really this kind of person, then I can guarantee that your only friend is yourself.
ShangGuan DanFeng wasn't such a person, so she obviously have already understood what Lu XiaoFeng meant.
Other than a pretty face, she actually has a very understanding and sympathic heart. It's truly rare to find a girl possessing both qualities.
Only the smartest girls know that understanding and sympathy will forever be more attractive than even the most beautiful of faces.

From LXF Book 1 Chapter 4

I don't think it's a translation problem.

[kidd]

I don't find the above paragraph any problem. I see it as Gu Long's unique style and it works for him. His work has a lot of this philosophing and author's aside.

If you knew that a friend of yours was starving because he was poor but still complimented him for being a man of iron will and great pride that would rather die before resorting to beg.
If you knew that a friend of yours need a little money from you but instead only sent him a letter telling him everything is alright and how great of a thing for him to struggle through all of this is.
If you are really this kind of person, then I can guarantee that your only friend is yourself.

The above is just an interesting author's aside. It doesn't warrant writing a whole event to show the above points. It will be just a waste of space. But, adding it in the paragraph instead of just

"ShangGuan DanFeng understood what Lu XiaoFeng meant. "

makes the reading more interesting.

It's also better than saying "Shangguan Danfeng understood what Lu XiaoFeng meant because she's not those friend who..."

As Cesare say, it depends on how good the writer is making use of this 'telling'.

As for whether other chinese authors to this. The authors who writing are influence by GL like Wen Rui An obviously does. But, I find that GL's contemporaries like JY sometimes did this too, just not as obvious as GL (like JY kept mentioning SPT is smart again and again).

[Han Solo]

Link to LXF book 1, http://wuxiapedia.com/novels/gu_long...ao_feng/book_1

Reading the prologue:

I loved the prologue.

Very nice potrait of the various characters that are important in the book from book 1 to book 5. It presage the appearance of madame gonsun and also the hidden honest monk and there was also a very nice description of the cool aloof XMCS and the pleasant HML.

GL write a lot of novels with prologues- a good example is in Big Time Celebrity and Happy Hero. LXF Book 1 prologue is one of the best that he wrote.

What do you guys think?

Han Solo

[xianzai]

I don't find the above paragraph any problem. I see it as Gu Long's unique style and it works for him. His work has a lot of this philosophing and author's aside.

I know; I would just have preferred if the information was conveyed via dialog.

"ShangGuan DanFeng understood what Lu XiaoFeng meant. "

That would be worse.

What do you guys think?

I like the prologue as well. It sets up some characters without having to slow down the story when they interact with the main ones.

[xianzai]

I'm up to chapters 6-7. I'm finding it a little hard to keep track of the names (perhaps because I only read a few pages at a time). Other than that, it's quite enjoyable.

[xianzai]

Finished LXF book one. Too bad there's not enough interest in this group. I think I'll try reading some of these graded Chinese readers (note this one) to improve my chances of reading Wuxia in Chinese.

[Ahoxan]

I've been trying to get to "fastclock"'s translations on freehostia, but am having problems getting the confirmation e-mail from them. Does any know where else I can get to "fastclock"'s translation of "Chu LiuXiang: Legend of the Bat" and "Seven Weapons"?

Thanks.