Death by Laughing by Pu Songling
Sun Ching-hsia tells the narrator of a villager whose neck was nearly severed by rebels and who recovered after his servants rescued him. Some ten years later, he laughs at a friend's joke, the seam on his neck splits open, and his head falls off. His father brings an action against the joker but withdraws it after those present contribute money.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Weird Fiction · 426 words
First lines
A Mr. Sun Ching-hsia, a marshal of undergraduates,[1] told me that in his village there was a certain man who had been killed by the rebels when they passed through the place. The man's head was left hanging down on his chest; and as soon as the rebels had gone, his servants secured the body and were about to bury it. Hearing, however, a sound of breathing, they looked more closely, and found that the windpipe was not wholly severed; and, setting his head in its proper place, they carried him back home. In twenty-four hours he began to moan; and by dint of carefully feeding him with a spoon, within six months he had quite recovered.
[1]: Or "Director of Studies. "
Genres
- Short Story — A brief narrative recounts a villager's recovery from a neck injury, his sudden death years later, and the settlement of his father's action.
- Weird Fiction — The villager survives a nearly severed neck, only for his head to fall off when laughter splits the healed seam some ten years later.
Tags
neck injury · laughter · accidental death · legal compensation · rebels
What this Textopian page supports
Death by Laughing is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Pu Songling
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Story, Weird Fiction
- Length: 426 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Death by Laughing by Pu Songling
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph