Humorous Sketches: Critical Analysis (Essential Critiques of Classical Chinese Literature Short Stories Series)

Author: Du Zhijun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: The term "xiapin" first appeared during the Six Dynasties period, initially referring only to abridged Buddhist scriptures. Since the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, literati began using "xiapin" to denote short prose that was "unconventional and expressed personal spirit." "Humor is an integral part of life, so when a culture reaches a certain level, humorous writing must emerge. When people's wisdom is awakened, they have surplus capacity beyond solving various problems, allowing them to approach matters with ease—this is how humor arises. Or perhaps, once wise, they begin to doubt humanity's wisdom itself, spotting human folly, contradictions, rigidity, and arrogance everywhere, and humor follows." Let the masses all experience "heartfelt smiles." The term "xiapin" first appeared during the Six Dynasties period, then referring only to abridged Buddhist scriptures. Since the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, literati began using "xiapin" to denote short prose that was "unconventional and expressed personal spirit." More and more collections were named "xiapin" or used it as a selection title, giving the term "xiapin" a clear literary meaning. In terms of its literary features, xiapin belongs to the category of prose, encompassing a wide range of genres such as travel essays, prefaces, eulogies, notes, poetry commentaries, letters, biographies, jokes, fables, diaries, and more. The classification standards for xiapin are varied, as it can be categorized by subject matter (e.g., landscape xiapin or biographical xiapin), by chronological period (e.g., late Tang xiapin or late Ming xiapin), or by artistic style (e.g., humorous xiapin or satirical xiapin).