Lu Xun's prose and essays

Author: Lu Xun, Li Xiaoming (Editor-in-Chief), Sun Lijuan (Deputy Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features:
Essays are the literary form most frequently used by Lu Xun in his life. Through essays, Lu Xun reveals his unyielding image as a revolutionary who fights against old forces to the end. His essays are mostly collected in Three Whirlwinds, Two Hearts, Collected Essays of Qi Jie Ting, Collected Essays of Qi Jie Ting, Part Two, and Collected Essays of Qi Jie Ting, Final Edition. The content of Lu Xun's essays is quite "diverse," with two main characteristics:
1. They reflect Chinese society with considerable depth and breadth, allowing people to clearly see the historical appearance of modern and contemporary China. From a single essay, his critiques often focus on specific, small, and ordinary matters, but when compiled together, they present a complete social image. Therefore, his essays are also highly generalizing and representative.
2. Lu Xun was deeply concerned with the reform of Chinese national character throughout his life, and this work was mainly accomplished through his essays. Lu Xun's essays are highly vivid, and the logical force of reasoning, argumentation, criticism, and refutation in his writings are all expressed through vivid imagery, giving his essays a rich artistic color. The style of Lu Xun's essays is free and varied, with short critiques being his most common form. His writing style is either severe and austere, fresh and enduring, sharp-edged, incisive, profound, or diverse and unbound. His essays are a literary form with significant influence in modern literature. Lu Xun was also an important pioneer of modern prose poems, which are collected in Wild Grass. The content of Wild Grass includes:
1. Satire on worldly manners and critique of dark politics, such as The Dog's Rebuttal, Revenge, and Faint Traces of Blood.
2. Expression of his struggles and frustrations in navigating the darkness, such as Autumn Night, The Traveler, and Farewell of the Shadow.
Lu Xun's reflective essays are collected in Evening Chrysanthemums. Some essays inherit traditional prose characteristics, conveying profound thoughts through plain and simple writing while recounting people and events. Moreover, when reflecting on past sentiments, he often offers commentary, expressing dissatisfaction with the current state.