Summary of content: "Journey to the West" is an ancient Chinese romantic novel about gods and demons. It mainly describes the journey of Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Zhu Wuneng, Sha Seng and Sha Wujing to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. , the story of finally obtaining the true scripture after ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties.
The content of "Journey to the West" is divided into three parts: the first part (chapters one to seven) introduces Sun Wukong's vast supernatural powers and causes trouble in the heaven; the second part (chapters eight to twelve) narrates Tripitaka's journey to obtain scriptures The reason; the third part (chapters thirteen to one hundred) is the main body of the story in the book. It tells about Wukong and others subduing demons and finally reaching the West to retrieve the scripture.
The image of Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West" has established an immortal artistic monument in the history of Chinese literature with its distinctive personality. Extended information
"Journey to the West" is the first romantic chapter-length novel about gods and demons in ancient China. None of the 100-chapter editions of "Journey to the West" published in the Ming Dynasty are signed by the author. Qing Dynasty scholar Wu Yuqi and others first proposed that the author of "Journey to the West" was Wu Cheng'en of the Ming Dynasty.
The content of "Journey to the West" is the most complex among Chinese classical novels.
It integrates the thoughts and content of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, not only allows the immortals of Buddhism and Taoism to perform at the same time, but also injects the human emotions of real society into the world of gods and Buddhas. Sometimes a few Confucian wise sayings are inserted to make it seem both solemn and humorous. The wit and wit make the book popular among readers of all cultural levels.
The emergence of "Journey to the West" opened up a new category of long chapter novels about gods and demons. The book's clever combination of good-natured ridicule, bitter satire and serious criticism directly affected the development of satirical novels. Therefore, "Journey to the West" is the peak of ancient romantic novels. In the history of world literature, it is also a masterpiece of romanticism and the pioneer of magical realism.
Reference material: Journey to the West - Baidu Encyclopedia