Modern Perspectives on Zhang Henshu's Novels

Author: Wen Fengqiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Mr. Zhang Henshu was a renowned modern and contemporary Chinese writer, famous for his popular literature. He published many influential works such as Spring City Chronicle, Golden Dust Family, Cries and Laughter, and Eighty-One Dreams. Building on previous research, this book positions Zhang Henshu's popular fiction within the 20th-century Chinese literary process of contrasting yet complementary modernity, breaking the long-standing binary oppositional thinking and qualitative research in modern literature studies—such as "new" versus "old," "revolution" versus "backwardness," and "modern" versus "traditional." It overcomes the constraints of interpretive frameworks that have lost their explanatory power, conducting new research, repositioning, and evaluation. The book also proposes the concept of multiple modernity norms in 20th-century Chinese literature, significantly advancing the study of Zhang Henshu's novels.
Now, I am fortunate to read Wen Fengqiao's Zhang Henshu's Novels in the Perspective of Modernity, which is highly readable. Building on previous research, the book positions Zhang Henshu's popular fiction within the 20th-century Chinese literary process of contrasting yet complementary modernity, breaking the long-standing binary oppositional thinking and qualitative research in modern literature studies—such as "new" versus "old," "revolution" versus "backwardness," and "modern" versus "traditional." It overcomes the constraints of interpretive frameworks that have lost their explanatory power, conducting new research, repositioning, and evaluation, offering insightful perspectives. The book also discusses Zhang Henshu's modernity from the aspects of "themes" and "style," striving to uncover the "transitional" nature of his modern Chinese-style novels. Zhang Henshu was not merely the "old" writer as perceived by modern writers but a writer who had evolved. His modern Chinese-style novels both inherited the strengths of traditional Chinese fiction and reshaped the modern charm of the Chinese-style narrative.
Additionally, from the perspective of adjusting modernity norms, the book examines Zhang Henshu's "wartime novels," proposing the concept of multiple modernity norms in 20th-century Chinese literature. It argues that modern popular literature represents a distinct modernity paradigm different from both the "May Fourth" new literature and classical traditional literature, offering fresh insights.