A History Of Modern Chinese Popular Literature

The first English translation of one of the most authoritative and significant studies in the field of modern Chinese literature.

First published in 1961, and reissued in new editions several times, this is the pioneering, classic study of 20th-century Chinese fiction. The book covers some 60 years, from the Literary Revolution of 1917 through the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. C. T. Hsia, Prof. Emeritus of Chinese at Columbia Univ., examines the major writers from Lu Hsun to Eileen Chang and representative works since 1949 from both mainland China and Taiwan. The first serious study of modern Chinese fiction in English, this book is also the best study of its subject available. Not only the specialist, but every reader who is interested in China or in literature will find it of interest. Hsia's astute insights and graceful writing make the book enjoyable as well as deeply edifying.

This is an illustrated cultural history of the emergence of modern literature in China from the late nineteenth century through the early years of the Chinese Republic, the 1930s and the war period, ending in 1949. Wu Fuhui takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic, drawing in book production, translation, popular and elite texts, international influences and political history. Presented here in English translation for the first time, Wu argues that this was a transformative period in Chinese literature informed both by developments in China's domestic history and the dynamics of global circulation and encounter.

"A thorough overview and analysis of the literary scene in China during the 1949-1999 period, focusing primarily on fiction, poetry, drama, and prose writing"--Provided by publisher.

Featuring over 140 Chinese and non-Chinese contributors, this landmark volume, edited by David Der-wei Wang, explores unconventional forms as well as traditional genres, emphasizes Chinese authors’ influence on foreign writers as well as China’s receptivity to outside literary influences, and offers vibrant contrasting voices and points of view.

Featuring over 140 Chinese and non-Chinese contributors, this landmark volume, edited by David Der-wei Wang, explores unconventional forms as well as traditional genres, emphasizes Chinese authors’ influence on foreign writers as well as China’s receptivity to outside literary influences, and offers vibrant contrasting voices and points of view.

"Since it focuses on the "development" of modern Chinese literature, it shall be open-ended and ever extending, and nobody has the right to put an end to it. Written as a single-volume literary history, and with illustrations added, the space is quite limited. And since scholars have already expanded the literary history of this period into a much broader one, the author must find some key points that may best represent each period. In this book, he consciously cut down narratives about authors and tried not to cover all their literary works, but give a detailed analysis of typical representative works, in which process the lack and neglect of some major authors and works are unavoidable. Maybe this is a writing method worth trying, and this book may provide both positive and negative experience for future scholars who try to write ever more concise and focused literary histories"--