Chinese Amusement: The Lively Plays of Li Yü

by Eric P. Henry

Not intended only for the specialist, Eric Henry's study provides a biographical introduction to the playwright. Since Li Yü's plays are still untranslated, Henry incorporates many quotations and scene recreations in the body of the book to make his remarks readily intelligible without prior reference to the plays. The act summaries in the appendix are leisurely enough to suggest a little of the original tastes and sensations of the plays. After describing the general characteristics of the long, musical, poetic, narrative-filled type of drama to which Li Yü's plays belong, Henry devotes one chapter to each of the four plays under consideration.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980