Bibliography of Special Histories of Chinese Literature (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Chen Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Over the past century, "literary history" has been widely accepted and rapidly developed in China, with an overwhelming number of literary history works available. However, previous attention has been more focused on general and period-specific histories, while literary specialty histories have received less attention, and there are few specialized bibliographies or monographs on the subject. The publication of Bibliography of Chinese Literary Specialty Histories is the first comprehensive collection and summary of literary specialty histories over the past century. This book was compiled over three years by Professor Chen Fei while writing the "Specialty History" section of his "History of the Study of Chinese Literary History."
The book has three main features:
First, it is extensive in scope. It includes literary specialty histories from the early 20th century to the end of 2000 (with some additions after 2000), totaling 710 main entries, 250 supplementary entries, 1,127 external entries, and 798 additional entries, for a total of 2,885 works.
Second, it is scientifically categorized. The compiler first defines "specialty history" as "works that fall under the category of 'Chinese Literary History' and possess the nature of 'special history'" (Preface), thereby excluding general and most period-specific histories, ensuring the purity of the collected works. The main entries are further categorized into seven types—author-centered literary history, reader-centered literary history, thematic literary history, stylistic literary history, ethnic literary history, regional literary history, and comparative literary history—based on the focus of the works and their close relationships, ensuring the scientific nature of the classification. Third, the arrangement of each category follows the content and publication date of the works, considering both the comprehensiveness, generality, and synthesis of the specialty histories versus their partial (staged), analytical, and specialized aspects, as well as their chronological order of publication.
Third, it is highly academic. Regarding the academic value of Bibliography of Specialty Histories, Mr. Dong Naibin has partially discussed it in the Preface: "First, although it may not be entirely exhaustive, it is one of the most conscious compilations of literary specialty histories in recent years. It serves both as a comprehensive overview and as a reference tool, with the compiler adhering to a practical approach in its format, making it a highly useful toolbook. Second, for literary historians, especially those seeking topics for their doctoral or master's theses, this book can provide many ideas and inspirations."
In addition, the arrangement and summaries of Bibliography of Specialty Histories also reflect the compiler's academic insight. Its arrangement provides a three-dimensional view of the achievements in the study of Chinese literary specialty histories over the past century. Without a deep understanding of literary historiography, it would be difficult to achieve such a macro-level classification. Moreover, most author biographies are provided by the authors themselves, ensuring the reliability of the information.
The summaries in Bibliography of Specialty Histories are not only concise and accurate but also fair in evaluation. They often take the broader context of "specialty historiography" into account, addressing major academic issues such as previous understandings of "literary history," the differences between various literary histories, and the landscape and prospects of literary history research, writing, teaching, and publishing, making it highly valuable academically.