A Comprehensive History of Lu Xun Studies in China. Volume 2: Macroscopic Description, Microscopic Perspective, and Rational Reflection of a Spiritual and Cultural Phenomenon in Twentieth-Century China.

Author: Zhang Mengyang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features:
Fan Jun—Senior Researcher at the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: What sets this book apart from previous works are two key differences. First, it replaces the long-standing term "Studies on Lu Xun" with the specialized term "Lu Xun Studies." Second, it explicitly treats "Lu Xun as a Subject and Lu Xun as an Image" as an important spiritual and cultural phenomenon of 20th-century China. Both changes are consistently applied throughout the book’s analysis and evaluation. This is not merely a change in terminology or a shift in the angle of inquiry, but a deliberate redefinition of the discipline’s scope and boundaries. The intention is to emphasize that Lu Xun Studies is not just a case study of a single writer or a simple branch of literary studies, but rather a cross-disciplinary synthesis of various humanities. This definition aligns with the objective reality of Lu Xun and Lu Xun Studies. More importantly, it examines Lu Xun’s legacy and measures the achievements and shortcomings of Lu Xun Studies against a broader spiritual and cultural historical background, thereby pushing future Lu Xun Studies toward broader, higher, and deeper horizons. The positive significance of these developments for the discipline’s construction and advancement is self-evident.
Wu Xiaomei—Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Lanzhou University: Zhang Mengyang’s monumental work, A Comprehensive History of Lu Xun Studies in China, has guided the already prominent field of Lu Xun Studies into a deeper and more expansive realm of rational thinking. It is both well-documented and a product of extensive research, and it highlights academic principles with incisive depth. What I particularly admire is that Zhang Mengyang consistently weaves a unifying thread throughout his work—the overlap and integration of three key spiritual and cultural phenomena of 20th-century China. These three phenomena are: Lu Xun himself, researchers, and the re-researcher Zhang Mengyang himself and his A Comprehensive History of Lu Xun Studies in China. The convergence of these three elements allows for a comprehensive, multi-faceted, and multi-angle exploration and analysis of Lu Xun Studies as a significant spiritual and cultural phenomenon of 20th-century China, thereby reconstructing the entire landscape of Lu Xun Studies in the 20th century. Especially noteworthy are the chapters on "Lu Xun Studies and 20th-Century Spiritual Liberation" and "Lu Xun Studies and 20th-Century Thinking Transformation," which reflect one aspect of the history of 20th-century spiritual and cultural phenomena in China and the intellectual journey of Chinese scholars.
The book also delves into micro-level topics within Lu Xun Studies and offers rational reflections on the relationship between Lu Xun as a Subject and Lu Xun as an Image in Lu Xun Studies, as well as the academic and philosophical issues, and the bidirectional interaction between Lu Xun Studies and 20th-century spiritual liberation and thinking transformation.