Middle School Students' Must-Read Literary Classics Illustrated

Author: Zhang Wenjie
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The editor of Illustrated Classics for Middle School Students selected the list of extracurricular literary classics for middle school students as prescribed by the Ministry of Education's Teaching Syllabus for Chinese. They carefully compiled this richly illustrated book by choosing original illustrations from the classics and related valuable images, supplemented with descriptive text and expert introductions. The main feature of this book is its use of images to convey the essence of the original works. The selected images, drawn from renowned artists of Chinese and foreign origin, vividly capture the essence of the classics and possess strong artistic appeal. Through aesthetic appreciation of these images, students can subconsciously understand and master the main plots,, character traits, and themes of the works, leaving a deep impression.
Look, in this image, Grandfather Goyard sits in a chair, his thumb constantly rotating, his eyes staring blankly into the distance. His brother has declared bankruptcy and taken his own life, yet he shows no grief—instead, he is lost in thought, imagining how astonished everyone in the town of Saumur would be if they knew he had made 200,000 francs in wine business the next day. The expression of Grandfather Goyard in the image fully reflects his insatiable greed and the selfish nature of a money-hungry miser.
Here is the first edition cover of Fortress Besieged. It features a man and a woman leaning back to back, their faces melancholic, as if trapped in the "fortress" of marriage and yearning to escape. This image embodies the theme of the book: "Those inside the fortress want to escape, and those outside want to enter. It is the same with marriage, career, and life's desires." (Yang Jiang). The illustrations in the book are as thought-provoking as these two examples, seamlessly blending with the text. The images vividly convey the meaning of the words, while the words clearly elucidate the essence of the images.
In addition to the images, the editor has invited experts to write introductions to the classics. Each introduction is divided into four parts: Author Biography, Summary of Content, Appreciation of the Work, and Brilliant Quotes. The Author Biography section lists the author's representative works, major achievements, significant evaluations, and key life experiences, with notable quotes highlighted separately.
Turning to the pages of the book, you will immediately see Cervantes' famous quote in 12-point bold italic: "To meet misfortune with a smile is the spirit of a great heart—to face all misfortunes with double the courage." Hemingway's famous quote is: "Man is not born to fail. One may be destroyed, but not defeated." This quote fully reflects Hemingway's "tough guy" spirit. The quotes from other classic authors are equally inspiring.
The Summary of Content section presents the original works in elegant and fluent language, faithfully recreating their ideological depth, plot summaries, and artistic styles. The Appreciation of the Work section is concise yet insightful, offering thorough analysis of character portrayals and artistic features. The Brilliant Quotes section selects the most representative quotes or famous descriptive or emotional passages from the original works, printed in regular script, to help students copy and memorize them, allowing them to grasp profound life philosophies while also improving their writing skills.
From the Brilliant Quotes of Robinson Crusoe, we can appreciate the following line: "I accept the will of heaven, and now I begin to possess this will, believing that all arrangements are already the best." This reflects Robinson's philosophy of. In the Brilliant Quotes of Gitanjali, we can savor such a famous line: "Sit quietly, my heart, do not raise your dust. Let the world come to you on its own." The meaning of this line can only be understood by eliminating all desires and distractions and meditating in silence.