Flowers of Literature Series -- Selected Prose Works of Ji Xianlin

Author: Ji Xianlin and Ma Xiangwu (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Millions of essays, millions of attitudes toward life, embodying the emotions of masters as they contemplate nature and experience life and death. Life is like the four seasons, with flowers blooming and falling, yet the truths within these chapters will be etched forever. Reading this book, you will linger among the masterpieces of renowned writers, savoring the love of family and the care of friends. A force for goodness will nourish the parched soul and invigorate the withering life. Together, let us enjoy the timeless and exquisite works, feeling the beauty through the pen of the masters. The moment you open this book becomes a part of your life, enjoying the joy of reading, the joy of perception, and the joy of life. Every selected essay is a household name, a masterpiece of language and literature. Throughout history, how many exquisite essays, like pearls, have shone brilliantly! The "Hundred Flowers Series of Essays" may not claim to have strung them into a necklace, but here they are no longer scattered pearls but more accessible for reading and appreciation. The selected essays focus on lyrical and narrative prose; the themes range from society and life to parting and flowers. The styles are both grand and unrestrained, as well as subtle and reserved. The series is extensive and inclusive. Though it may not be called a "Treasure Collection," the works included still hold brilliance and inspiration. The "Hundred Flowers Series of Essays" includes the "Ancient Chinese Essays Series," the "Modern Chinese Essays Series," and the "Contemporary Chinese Essays Series," all published in separate volumes according to different authors. Ancient Chinese essays have a long and profound history, with deep roots and lush branches. Like poetry, they are one of the most important and distinctive literary forms in ancient Chinese literature, as well as a splendid cultural treasure trove in the history of human civilization. To promote the fine culture of the Chinese nation, inherit the excellent traditions of ancient essays, and foster the prosperity and improvement of contemporary essay writing, while providing readers with reference and appreciation, this series of "Ancient Chinese Essays" has been compiled as a part of the "Hundred Flowers Series of Essays." The scope of the essay genre has evolved over time, differing between ancient and modern eras. This series primarily selects essays with strong literary qualities, such as lyrical and descriptive prose. The selected authors range from the pre-Qin period to the Qing Dynasty, with each author's works compiled in separate volumes. The ordering of essays in each book follows the chronological order of their composition, allowing readers to understand the development and evolution of essay writing. Each book in the series is divided into two parts: one is an essay on the author, which includes a brief introduction to the author's life and literary activities, with a focus on analyzing and reviewing their essay writing philosophy, especially their artistic features, the development of their essay writing, and its influence. The other is the essays themselves, each accompanied by a title explanation and annotations. The essay on the author aims to complement and enhance the selected essays, helping readers achieve a rational understanding of the essays while deepening their sensory perception of the author's insights. This mutual reinforcement makes the series not only a collection of selected essays for reading but also, to some extent, a study of the author and even a history of ancient Chinese essays, distinct from general essay collections and traditional histories of ancient essays. Each selected essay includes representative and outstanding works of the author, as well as essays from different periods, themes, and styles to reflect the author's development in essay writing. The title explanations not only interpret relevant words, specialized terms, and provide information on writing time and sources but also offer concise reviews of the background, ideological value, artistic features, and techniques of the works. The annotations primarily clarify difficult characters, words, allusions, official titles, artifacts, names, and places. For important or uniquely used terms, references or examples are cited to help readers understand not only "what" but also "why." Ji Xianlin (1911.8.6-) was born in Qingping, Shandong. In 1930, he entered the Department of Western Literature at Tsinghua University and graduated in 1934, becoming a Chinese literature teacher at Shandong Provincial Jinan High School. In autumn 1935, he entered the University of G?ttingen in Germany to study Sanskrit, Pali, and Tocharian, among other ancient Indian languages. In 1941, he received a doctorate in philosophy and was hired as a lecturer at the university. He returned to China in 1946 and served as a professor and department head of the Department of East Asian Languages at Peking University (until the present) and as vice president of Peking University (from 1978 to 1984). He joined the Communist Party of China in April 1956 and was elected as a representative and Standing Committee member of the Sixth National People's Congress in 1983. He is currently the vice president of the Chinese Society of Foreign Literature and the honorary president of the Chinese Comparative Literature Society. He has long been dedicated to the study and translation of Sanskrit literature, including the famous Indian epic "Ramayana." Additionally, he has written numerous essays, including collections such as "Heart Shadows of India," "Langrun Collection," and "Ji Xianlin's Essays."