The Odyssey of the Buddhist Mind: The Allegory of The Later Journey to the West

Xiaolian Liu presents the first and only major study on the achievement of the novel in the context of both Western and Chinese allegorical traditions. This groundbreaking book provides a comparative study of the nature and various aspects of allegory as illustrated through the analysis of The Later Journey to the West, a seventeenth-century Chinese allegorical novel. The author also examines the theme, structure and characterization of the novel and their allegorical meanings. Contents: Introduction: A Chinese Allegorical Novel; The Hero's Quest: The Basic Allegory; The Pilgrims' Progress: Meaning of the Allegorical Journey; Symbolic Images and Actions: Representations of Allegorical Characters; Hou Xiyou ji in the Context of Western and Chinese Allegorical Traditions; Appendix I; A Synopsis of Hou Xiyou ji; Appendix II: The Problem of Authorship of Hou Xiyou ji; Selected Bibliography; Index.