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''Water Margin'' (''Shui Hu Zhuan'', sometimes abbreviated to ''Shui Hu''), also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'', ''Tale of the Marshes'', ''All Men Are Brothers'', ''Men of the Marshes'', or ''The Marshes of Mount Liang'', is a novel attributed to Shi Nai'an. Considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, the novel is written in vernacular Chinese rather than Classical Chinese.〔Yenna Wu, "Full-Length Vernacular Fiction," in Victor Mair, (ed.), ''The Columbia History of Chinese Literature'' (NY: Columbia University Press, 2001), pp. 627-629.〕 The story, set in the Song dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gathers at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. It has introduced to readers many of the best-known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song, Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen. ==Historical context and development== ''Water Margin'' was based on the exploits of the outlaw Song Jiang and his 36 companions. The group was active in the Huainan region and surrendered to the Song government in 1121. They were recorded in the historical text ''History of Song''. The name of "Song Jiang" also appeared in the biography of Emperor Huizong of Song, which stated: Zhang Shuye's biography further described Song Jiang and the outlaws' activities and how they were eventually defeated by Zhang.〔Toktoghan et al. ''History of Song'', Volume 353, Biography of Zhang Shuye.〕 Folk stories of Song Jiang circulated during the Southern Song. The first source to name Song Jiang's 36 companions was ''Miscellaneous observations from the year of Guixin'' (癸辛雜識) by Zhou Mi, written in the 13th century. Among the 36 were Lu Junyi, Guan Sheng, Ruan Xiao'er, Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi, Liu Tang, Hua Rong and Wu Yong. Some of the characters who later became associated with Song Jiang also appeared around this time. They include Sun Li, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song. A direct precursor of ''Water Margin'' was the ''Old incidents in the Xuanhe period of the great Song dynasty'' (大宋宣和遺事), which appeared around the mid 13th century. The text is a written version of storytellers' tales, based on supposed historical events. It is divided into ten chapters, roughly covering the history of the Song dynasty from the early 11th century to the establishment of the Southern Song regime in 1127. The fourth chapter covers the adventures of Song Jiang and his 36 companions, and their eventual defeat by Zhang Shuye. Some of the more well known stories and characters in ''Water Margin'' are clearly visible, including "Yang Zhi sells his precious saber", "Robbing the convoy of birthday gifts", "Song Jiang kills Yan Poxi", "Fighting Fang La", among others. Song Jiang and his outlaws were said to operate in the Taihang Mountains. Stories about the outlaws became a popular subject for Yuan dynasty drama. During this time, the material on which ''Water Margin'' was based evolved into what it is in the present. The number of outlaws increased to 108. Even though they came from different backgrounds (including scholars, fishermen, imperial drill instructors etc.), all of them eventually came to occupy Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh). There is a theory that ''Water Margin'' became popular during the Yuan era as the common people (predominantly Han Chinese) resented the Mongol rulers. The outlaws' rebellion was deemed "safe" to promote as it was supposedly a negative reflection of the fallen Song dynasty. Concurrently, the rebellion was also a call for the common people to rise up against corruption in the government. The Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming dynasty, acting on the advice of his ministers, banned the book as a means of preventing revolts.〔 (明代文学教案：第二章《水浒传》（之一） )〕 The novel, praised as an early "masterpiece" of vernacular fiction, is renowned for the "mastery and control" of its mood and tone.〔 The work is however also known for its use of vivid, humorous and especially racy languages.〔 However, it has been denounced as "obscene" by various critics since the Ming dynasty. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Water Margin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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