SOURCE: "Foxes in Chinese Supernatural Tales (Part I)," in Tamkang Review, Vol. XVII, No. 2, Winter, 1986, pp. 121-54.

In the following excerpt, Wu examines P 'u's innovative use of the images, symbols, themes, and motifs of the traditional Chinese fox tale.

Fox Spirits in P'u Sung-ling's Liao-chai chih-yi

It can be said that P'u wrote the most fox tales up to his time in his one collection of Liao-chai chih-yi. There are almost seventy-one fox tales in his book. P'u's fox spirits can be put into two categories: the good and the bad. There are also vengeful foxes that are used to emphasize a satiric viewpoint, such as in the tale named "Yi yüan kuan" and "Tao-hu." The fox spirit in the first story dares speak the truth in contrast to others who are timid and quiet. The fox in "Tao-hu" is used to satirize the impotence of...