Shuowen Jieyi

Author: Du Shuying
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This book is the work of a scholar of literary studies. I believe that readers from the political, business, and engineering fields need not trouble themselves to read it; while friends among the cultural circles who occasionally read others' works, writers who occasionally delve into literary theory, university students in liberal arts who have spare time beyond their coursework, young literary enthusiasts above high school level, and friends in society who enjoy broad reading may find it worthwhile to read. Du Shuying asked me to write the preface. First, I glanced at the table of contents, and a significant portion was material I had not read before. So, I went through the manuscript and found that some of the more academically rigorous articles were still not fully digested or fully understood, but I felt it necessary to write this short preface. Prefaces can take various forms. Some famous prefaces supplement or expand upon the central content or a particular argument of the book being reviewed, sometimes even venturing into related topics, forming an essay in itself. Limited by my academic capabilities, I am unable to achieve this. In recent years, people often criticize those who write prefaces, saying some are mere "friendship appearances," others are written for "promotion," and some are nothing more than "reflections" throughout the preface—these should be considered major taboos in writing prefaces. The preface I am about to write falls squarely within this category.
I have written prefaces for friends' books before, such as Zhu Zheng's The Summer of 1957. That was over a decade ago. Last year, the revised edition The Origins of the Anti-Rightist Campaign was published in Hong Kong, and I wrote another preface for the Hong Kong edition. Of course, it was because I had something to say, but more importantly, Zhu Zheng is my friend. I know his original intentions in writing this book and the hardships he endured in the process. Moreover, transforming such a personal work into a public one is no easy feat—writing is hard, and publishing is even harder. As a friend, if I cannot go to great lengths for him, at least I can lend my support. Du Shuying and I are also friends. We initially knew each other through mutual acquaintances and later had the opportunity to interact in person, realizing that we understood each other. However, in this bustling world, we meet at most once or twice a year. Such a friendship is truly as rare as water. Being able to read his book is like meeting him in person—a leisurely conversation that is as straightforward as his personality. It is even broader and deeper than what one can gain from face-to-face guidance. I believe that if someone does not know him, unless they are restless or prefer flashy literary styles, they will still appreciate the book with open arms.
As for "promotion," it is essentially advertising. Under the conditions of a market economy, how can advertising not be done? As long as it is not fraudulent. Book reviews are already divided into various levels—there are academically rigorous reviews, immediate new book introductions, and even brief summaries or news updates, which are more like soft advertising. Prefaces should be viewed similarly. The essence of advertising is to introduce a product to consumers. Taking this book as an example, the author's postscript serves as the product description, which could actually be placed at the beginning of the book. The editor, of course, reads the manuscript and is like the first reader, but the editor participates in the "production" and "packaging" of the "product," belonging to the producer's side. Therefore, as an individual reader of the manuscript, I am the consumer of this book, and my preface can be seen as advertising from the consumer's perspective. But this kind of preface is targeted, not general. It is not published outside the book, in media or on the streets, but within the book itself, which determines the scope of its "advertising." Not only will those who do not read or buy books see this "advertisement," but even those who read and buy books but only enjoy popular, trendy, martial arts, or romantic genres will pass by this book without flipping through it. Those who slow down and pause to browse upon seeing the book's title are likely readers who are "right for" this book—they are no longer blind buyers. In fact, they do not need to read my verbose preface; flipping through the table of contents will already pique their interest in reading. If they spend their own "body-temperature" money to buy this book, and some of it is because I recommended it as readable, then I will feel honored and deeply gratified, for my "advertisement" is not fraudulent.
Of course, this book is the work of a scholar of literary studies. I believe that readers from the political, business, and engineering fields need not trouble themselves to read it; while friends among the cultural circles who occasionally read others' works, writers who occasionally delve into literary theory, university students in liberal arts who have spare time beyond their coursework, young literary enthusiasts above high school level, and friends in society who enjoy broad reading may find it worthwhile to read. The intended readership is neither too narrow nor too broad—it is neither scholarly nor purely recreational, but rather academic essays by a scholar. I enjoy reading articles by scholars beyond their specialized papers. Since childhood, I have had a deep respect for learned individuals. During my literary awakening in the 1940s, Mr. Fei Ming's On New Poetry and Mr. Zhu Guangqian's Twelve Letters to Youth opened my eyes to the world of poetry and beauty. In the late 1970s and 1980s, I experienced a new enlightenment, but not primarily by reading classical works from the East or West, but by the insights of contemporary scholars in social sciences and humanities. Among them, I often benefited more from their scattered or lengthy discussions, some of which were also academic essays, which I remain grateful for to this day. I believe that readers like me are not few among the general public.
Several years ago, in a short essay, I called on scholars to write more academic essays. I said that they could just use the "leftover materials" from their academic research. Now, it seems that this statement is not comprehensive enough. While it is fine to encourage scholars to relax their mindset, it does not align with the reality of most academic essays. To mention only a few, from Qian Zhongshu and Lin Yutang to Jin Keumu and Zhang Zhongxing, their essays contain a wealth of academic information and new insights, far surpassing what is considered "leftover materials." Some scholars write "big works" on "small topics"—not that the value of the articles is small, but that their length is not. Of course, there are also those who write essays of several thousand words, but most substantive academic essays still retain the concise and engaging essence of the "essay" genre, making them particularly favored by general readers.
This "big work on a small topic" is often used to describe "popular science" works by some experts and scholars, aimed at teenagers and general readers outside their field, to popularize their specialized knowledge. These works must not only be concise but also approachable and friendly. In this regard, scholars in natural sciences and engineering seem to do more. When we talk about "popular science," we often only think of natural sciences and engineering, forgetting that social sciences and humanities also need popular reading materials, and such works are even rarer.
Writing, I suddenly thought that some chapters in Du Shuying's book could be considered popular readings in literary studies. Recently, I read a book by architectural scholar Professor Zhang Qinnan titled Notes on Reading History (China Radio and Television Press, October 2003), which is his reflections on history after he retired from his professional duties in his seventies. The content is arranged in order: revolutions in the United States, France, Russia, and China; "reform" histories of some countries; feudalism and the "Dark Ages" in Europe; feudalism and anti-feudalism in China; and finally, a re-examination of capitalism and socialism. I read it through as if it were a good essay, gaining much from it. I believe this is a book by a non-professional historian to popularize historical knowledge, and because it adopts an essay style, it allows readers to achieve the "delightful reading" () that a book review journal edited by Chu Yuquan once proclaimed. Of course, the "delight" I experienced in "delightful reading" is not just simple "joy" or "pleasure," nor does it have to be light and carefree—it is more about "enlightenment." After enlightenment, one might feel heavy, but compared to being completely confused, it is certainly better.
Many scholars are not bound by professional or paper norms. Beyond their specialties and papers, they still continue to write—of course, not limited to academic essays, but also prose, poetry, and modern poetry, all of which are their playgrounds. Whether scholars, writers, or poets, they must continuously expand the space for writing and reading. This is not just a requirement of professional habits but can also be said to be determined by the nature of all thinkers and scholars. In this regard, I hope to share this aspiration with Du Shuying.