Dong Shuo
1620–1686
Biography
Dong Shuo (董說, 1620–1686), whose courtesy name was Ruoyu, was a writer from Wucheng in Zhejiang, a place now called Wuxing. He lived through the fall of the Ming and into the early Qing, and he used several literary names, including Xi'an and Yuehan. He was the son of the scholar Dong Sizhang. After the Ming ended he is reported to have changed his surname to Lin.
The book on this site is A Supplement to Journey to the West (西遊補), a novel of sixteen chapters placed between chapters 61 and 62 of the Ming classic Journey to the West (西遊記). In it Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is lured into a dream by a demon. He wanders through strange places, past and future, taking the forms of Consort Yu, companion of the warlord Xiang Yu, and of the king of hell, until the illusion is broken and the demon is destroyed. The novel is traditionally credited to Dong Shuo, although Chinese sources also name his father as a possible author.
The novel is unusual for its time. Its dream structure, its loose episodes and its break with the logic of Journey to the West make it one of the more experimental works of Chinese fiction, and some modern critics compare it to surrealist writing. A Chinese account suggests that it may have influenced Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber. Details of Dong's life are not abundant, so check the dates and attributions against the links below.
This biography was written by a language model. The sources below are where to check it; treat details with care.
Books
西遊補
by 董說
In a dream, Sun Wukong is lured into a world of illusion by the Green-Green Fish and wanders through time and the underworld, even playing at being an emperor. Dong Yue's strange supplement to the Journey to the West is a satire of desire and history. This book uses the racial…
Summary written by Claude Sonnet 5.5.