The what with the which in the where now?

[rushthatspeaks]

telophase, in an entry locked to spare the sensibilities of her relatives, has been reading a book on sexual life in ancient China. The literary merits of this text should be obvious-- why, the light it could shed on Gensomaden Saiyuki Journey to the West alone is simply mind-boggling.

However, although the book is of fairly recent vintage (mid-1960s, I believe), the author follows the old-fashioned practice of putting any material which might be considered explicit into Latin, because as we all know every adult over the age of twenty-one is fluent in Latin and no one under the age of consent has ever studied it.

This includes Latinization of a sex manual of the Sui Dynasty, in which all of the names of various techniques have been rendered in English and all the descriptions haven't. And I, selflessly, in the interest of scholarly good, literary clarity, annoyance at prudery and better Saiyuki fanfic, have decided to translate it.

Which requires the input of the Internet.




[Poll #709342]

All translations will appear in an unlocked entry which I'll link to my userinfo and add to as time goes on.

Ah, Scholarship.

ETA: The first set of translations are up.

Comments

[mixedborder.livejournal.com]

>Ah, Scholarship.

Yes, it is absolutely purely intellectual curiosity that makes me wish to read the translations. *koff*

[oyceter]

Y'know, I nearly picked "Wailing Monkey Embracing A Tree" for the first one, and then I thought, "Goku!"

Clearly there should be a Saiyuki ficathon in which everyone takes one position and writes something.

In the interest of scholarship, of course.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I had a vague thought of some sort of contest along those lines, which bogged down when I realized I had no prize, and didn't really want to pick a winner. I just wanted to read the stories or see the art. XD

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I put that "Phoenix Sporting In The Cinnabar Crevice" is the least ludicrous name because due to a misspent youth*, I know what the Cinnabar Crevice refes to, so the title halfway makes sense.



* No, really. I somehow got my hands on a historical bodice-ripper when I was 11 or 12 that was all about this English woman who'd gotten captured and sold to a Chinese merchant as a sex slave. She eventually somehow hooked up with an English lord who had no problems at all with her concubine historyand had lots of sex with him, but not before spending a few years playing her Chinese master's Jade Flute on a regular basis.

[frostedelves.livejournal.com]

*cough* Happen to remember the, um... title? XD

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Wish I could. :D I think it was Jade Something. It would have been published in the late 70s, early 80s, and been one of those historical romances which was just thinly disguised porn.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

It mmmmmmay possibly be Catherine Coulter's Jade Star, in which case I seriously misremembered both the age at which I read it and the nationality of the protagonists (although to be fair, you don't read these with an eye to the nationality of the protagonists).

That also seems to be Book 4 in a series.

[foleyartist1.livejournal.com]

<3<3<3<3

[cicer.livejournal.com]

The Wailing Monkeys...that's just the best name of a sexual position ever. It really is.

[tirerim.livejournal.com]

unless you have a very dirty mind.

<raises hand> (Though even for me it's taking some effort with many of these.)

[snarp]

I like how half the responses to the last question involve drugs or alcohol, and most of the rest, bestiality. Poor Chinese sex columnists, getting no respect.

Hold it, wait - "Two Dancing Female Phoenix Birds?" Did the Chinese invent lesbians, too?! Duuuude, they totally *were* the most advanced civilization! [/Keanu Reeves]

[redbird]

It's not that the knowledge of Latin is conferred on one's 21st birthday--it's that they expected that only educated males would know it. They didn't want women or the working classes to read about sex--it might corrupt us. Feh.

[wyrdness.livejournal.com]

As if we needed help to become corrupted! I mean, err, yes, we're sweet and innocent and only read this stuff in private, I mean, in our imaginations, I mean, err, we would never read such things!

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

All translations will appear in an unlocked entry which I'll link to my userinfo and add to as time goes on.

bless you. ;)

[signy1.livejournal.com]

Bugger the poll- where can I see this book? I was skimming through a treatise on Victorian porn this afternoon, and now I want to do a compare-and-contrast...

[sovay]

a treatise on Victorian porn this afternoon, and now I want to do a compare-and-contrast...

(a) That would be fascinating.

(b) Does Victorian porn also contain hilarious position titles?

(c) If you haven't seen this already, I feel it is my scholarly duty to point it out to you. Whose life could be complete without at least a passing familiarity with Victorian tentacle porn?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

It is Sexual Behavior in Ancient China by Robert H. van Gulik, published in 1961. I've got the 1961 edition out of the library I work in - I don't know if there was ever a non-Latinized revised edition. :)

[daidoji-gisei.livejournal.com]

Hey, I recognize that name! Gulik wrote the Judge Dee mysteries. Good stuff, if you like mysteries. Or old China.

[sovay]

Fluttering Butterflies (wait, you mean Barry Hughart wasn't making this up either?)

Yep. That was my reaction, too. Barry Hughart rocks even more than he already does.

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

I just want to commend you for this great public service. :D