Lièn Jīnghún Zhuàn 列女驚魂傳
Tales of Heroic Women Who Startled Souls
by 佚名 (撰, anonymous)
About the work
Lièn Jīnghún Zhuàn 列女驚魂傳 is a twenty-nine-huí 回 anonymous vernacular novel of martial heroics, courtroom justice, and feminine loyalty (lièn 列女 referring to women of exemplary conduct). The work combines the gōng’àn 公案 (court case), xá侠 (chivalric heroes), military adventure (wǔxiá 武俠), and romance genres in a narrative that spans the court of the Wanli emperor to a military campaign against wokou pirates. The heroine Xiùxiá 秀霞 (whose fidelity and martial skill drive the plot) and the corrupt official network that threatens her and her family are central to the plot.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Prefaces
No preface or postface is preserved in the Kanripo text.
Abstract
Lièn Jīnghún Zhuàn 列女驚魂傳 is listed in the Kanripo catalog as 佚名 (anonymous), and no author attribution has been identified. The novel is set loosely in the late Míng period (references to the Wanli emperor, shénzōng 神宗, in chapter 17 confirm a Míng setting) and involves an elaborate plot including:
- A political crisis involving the 鎮國公 (Prince/Duke Zhen-guo), a loyal court official
- A provincial official network responsible for miscarriage of justice (chapters 5–6)
- A series of heroic interventions by the chivalric figure 鐵國良 and his allies
- A military campaign against wokou (wōkòu 倭寇, Japanese pirates) in which the heroine Xiùxiá 秀霞 plays a decisive military role
- An examination subplot in which the hero 黃貴保 wins first place in the imperial examination (chapters 17–18)
- Court politics culminating in a rebellion by 鎮國公 at Xiangyang and its suppression
The narrative encompasses a broad social canvas typical of mid-to-late Qīng popular fiction: corrupt officials, loyal ministers, military heroines, chivalric fighters, and final imperial reward. The twenty-nine chapters cover this full arc from domestic injustice to martial triumph and imperial recognition.
Dating is uncertain. The Ming setting and the mixing of gōng’àn, martial heroics, and loyal-woman themes suggest a Qīng composition, probably eighteenth or early nineteenth century, working in the tradition of Pénggōng’àn 彭公案, Shī Gōng’àn 施公案, and similar works. The title echoes the long tradition of lièn 列女 (“exemplary women”) compilations while adapting the format to popular vernacular fiction.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
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