Water Margin

Shi Nai'an (attrib.) · c. 1370 CE · Novel · Chinese · Medieval

Corrupt officials drive soldiers, constables, monks and minor gentry out of respectable life one by one, and each fugitive makes his way to the stronghold in Liangshan Marsh. A hundred and eight of them gather there under a code of brotherhood, raiding the authorities who made them outlaws. Banditry as the last honest court.

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Lineage

• ↓ Journey to the West
  Wu Cheng'en · 1592 CE · Novel — influenced by this
• ↓ Romance of the Three Kingdoms
  Luo Guanzhong · c. 1400 CE · Novel — shares sources with this
• ↓ Dream of the Red Chamber
  Cao Xueqin · 1791 CE · Novel — influenced by this
• ↓ The Plum in the Golden Vase
  Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng · c. 1610 CE · Novel — reworks this

Attributes

Closest analogues

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  Mark Twain · 1884 CE · Novel

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