This was the first time I read this short wuxia novel. When I was about
halfway through, a thought hit me: "This sounds so familiar!" The way
the story went reminded me of Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo.
It has the same dark themes of betrayal, revenge, greed and corruption,
and the similar plot line where the protagonist is framed and wrongly
accused, losing the love of his life to his enemy in the process, and
where he stumbles on a treasure find. But of course the historical
settings and plot details are totally different. Being a wuxia novel,
there are the usual wuxia tropes of martial arts rivalry, struggle
against injustice, secret manual, violent conflicts etc.
Apparently Jin Yong himself admitted that this story had been inspired by the said French classic. It was also based on an incident that he had witnessed as a child that had haunted his memory ever since.
Regardless, the short novel was a rather moving read with a core moral theme of fighting prejudices and bigotry.
Apparently Jin Yong himself admitted that this story had been inspired by the said French classic. It was also based on an incident that he had witnessed as a child that had haunted his memory ever since.
Regardless, the short novel was a rather moving read with a core moral theme of fighting prejudices and bigotry.
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