Journey to the West

[Anonymous No.18243506]

Just started reading the first volume of Yu’s translation. What am I in for? What does /lit/ think of it?

[Anonymous No.18243564]

>>18243506
It's absolutely great. I've read the JF Skinner translation twice, and I can say it beats War and Peace. The first seven chapters are the best. Keep in mind that it's a comic novel; don't be ashamed to laugh.

[Anonymous No.18243576]

>>18243506
I got this version too but haven't gotten around to it yet. I hear the earlier translations were abridged and this is the full thing.

[S10241875 No.18243592]

>>18243506
Read all four great Chinese novels. This is the most crappy.
I have been studying Chinese culture and history (I can read Wenyan a little) for a long time, deeply immersed in Buddhism, but it took a lot of effort for me to finish reading this.
Everything interesting ends there when the company gets together and actually goes to India.
Endless caves with demons. Each chapter is just a new cave. A monk is just an inanimate object, the demon-men want to eat him, the demon-women want to fuck and eat him. The monkey beats everyone. Sometimes he doesn't succeed the first time, he thinks a little and still beats in a different way. The pig - gets drunk, the river - just stupid somewhere.
Then they come to Buddha (he is really huge and golden sitting in the middle of India), he gives them sutras and teleports them back to China.
In short, you can read the beginning and the last chapter, you can safely skip the middle.
I don't think it contains any allusions or metaphors for the spiritual path. It's just that the Chinese children liked that the Monkey beat everyone, it's very funny when you are 5-6 years old.

I will not say about the translation, I read the Russian translation.

[Anonymous No.18243624]

>>18243592
it reflects the journey/evolution of human life.

birth of monkey -> birth
creating chaos in heaven -> teenage years, feel like we're king of everything and we can do anything
taking up the journey to retrieve the sutras and facing endless trials -> adult life, responsibilities, jobs that seem endless
returning with sutra -> matured, retirement

though to note it was published in the 16th century, so how the author's view on an average person's life is very different to how we view it in contemporary time.

[Anonymous No.18243665]

>>18243506
The parts all the way up to and including monkey leaving the group and then coming back to save them when they're all getting absolutely curbstomped by the super mega demon, even the fucking horse being forced to join in on the fighting are great but then after that with the exception of a few parts it gets pretty damn repetitive until near the end. It's literally the basis for shounen manga.

[Anonymous No.18243693]

>>18243506

You know you can watch Stephen Chow's version of Journey to the West for free on youtube. It's one of the best movies ever.

Better than reading the book!

[Anonymous No.18243731]

>>18243506
>What am I in for?
anime as high literature
I found it very fun and based

[Anonymous No.18243887]

>>18243506
Who's that guy on the left? He's kawaii.