Yes, it seems to be comparable to Shakespeare in terms of age and influence. That's something else I always mean to read, but at least I know a few of the plotlines/characters from a few plays so I can recognise them on occasion! I bet the videos you linked are really good for getting that kind of familiarity with elements of Journey to the West :)

Thank you for the summary of the translations! I thought there'd be hundreds and no hope of finding out which, so I didn't look! I tried to find extracts of both, and I think it's the Anthony Yu translation, but without the notes! And this version was put together as a free ebook by the University of Adelaide. Still a bit of a mystery...

I might end up buying that new version if I like this one but wish there was more explanation :)