New Books in Communications Scott W. Gregory, "Bandits in Print: The Water Margin and the Transformations of the Chinese Novel" (Cornell UP, 2023)
Jan 12, 2026
Scott W. Gregory, an Associate Professor and co-director of the Center for East Asian Studies, dives deep into the transformative world of print in early modern China through the lens of the classic novel, The Water Margin. He discusses how this beloved tale of outlaw heroes was adapted by different editors, highlighting the moral complexity and ambiguities in its various editions. Gregory uncovers the role of commercial publishers in reshaping meanings and reveals how Ming print culture made the text malleable rather than fixed.
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From Bafflement To Research Focus
- Scott W. Gregory recounts first disliking The Water Margin and being baffled by it as a reader in grad school.
- That bafflement led him to study paratexts and different editions to reconstruct how readers encountered the novel.
Why Water Margin Is Ideal Study Material
- The Water Margin is an early, influential, and morally puzzling Ming novel that resists easy genre labels.
- Its problematic heroes and early prominence make it ideal to study print-driven transformations in Ming fiction.
Lost Early Editions Lived Among Elites
- Scott explores two early elite editions of The Water Margin that no longer survive but are documented in other sources.
- He argues these early editions circulated within elite circles before the later popular commercial editions appeared.
