New Books in East Asian Studies 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, delves into the transformations of the classic Chinese novel, The Water Margin. He reveals how this beloved tale of bandits was reshaped by various editors, showing the text's malleability in the context of Ming print culture. Scott discusses the novel's episodic style, the impact of commercial publishers, and the voices of influential commentators like Jin Shangtan. His insights illuminate the dynamic interplay between print and narrative in early modern China.
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A Scholar's Origin Story
- Scott W. Gregory traces his interest back to high school fascination with Zen and Journey to the West.
- That early path steered him into Ming novels and decades of study culminating in this book.
From Dissertation Rabbit Holes To Narrative
- Gregory began with dissertation-era data-dumping in libraries and followed many rabbit holes through editions and commentaries.
- Stepping away and returning later let him see a clearer narrative and shape the dissertation into a book.
Print As A Shaping Force
- In Ming China print often functioned as an agent of change rather than stabilizing texts.
- Editor-publishers reshaped novels to suit imagined readerships and rhetorical aims.
