"P'u Sung-ling and His Work," in Chinese History and Literature: Collection of Studies, D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1970, pp. 109-38.

A well-known Czechoslovakian scholar specializing in Oriental studies, Prušek is highly esteemed for his interpretive and investigative treatment of P 'u 's works and life. In 1962 he translated into his native language several selections from Strange Stories. In the following excerpt from his preface to this collection, Prušek places P'u's stories in their historical context, highlighting several pieces for their fusion of reality, fantasy, and satire.

The eighteenth century . . . appears more and more clearly to us as the dawn of a new era in Chinese literature, as a kind of ouverture to modern literature. During this time narrative prose came to occupy the dominant place in Chinese literature, while the character of this genre was undergoing a profound change.

In the seventeenth century China lived through one...