Reading Life: Selected Academic Essays by Guo Zhigang

Author: Guo Zhigang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-03-01
Features: This collection presents academic essays selected by 12 renowned scholars who have long devoted themselves to the field of modern Chinese literature. Emerging from the historical atmosphere of the May Fourth Movement, they turn their gaze to the mysteries of antiquity while also focusing on the changes of the present. From various aspects of literature and life, they naturally express profound and broad reflections and insights. Due to their "academic" nature, the essays are inevitably serious and incisive; yet, as they take the form of "essays," they are inherently unbound, light, and even carefree. "Carefreeness" may be an extremely high realm of traditional Chinese scholarship, embracing the vast world with compassion, finding joy in mountains and waters, conveying profound truths in simple language, and seeking knowledge through questioning in a broad and profound manner. The May Fourth Movement may be the richest legacy left to the Chinese people by the 20th century, making it an endless topic for modern Chinese intellectuals. From the 12 books compiled in the "Wind and Rain Literary Collection," we will hear their inquiries and interpretations, and feel their thoughts and confusions. Their significance may extend far beyond this. As we step into the threshold of the new century, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to tomorrow's sun, we coincidentally hear their questions about history—what associations will this evoke in us?