Paul S. ROPP
A scene from a Ming dynasty historical novel, likely to be Romance of the Three Kingdoms, adorns the top of a bamboo lacquered box. FROM THE AVERY BRUNDAGE COLLECTION.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, highly educated literati increasingly used the long fictional narrative as a popular vehicle to engage in sophisticated storytelling. Drawing on historical events and personal experience, and on popular tales, anecdotes, and legends, novels by these authors provide us with some
