A History of Classical Chinese Novel Theory - (Revised Edition)

Author: Fang Zhengyao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: This book primarily reviews the fiction criticism of the Ming and Qing dynasties, making the fiction theory and criticism of the Ming and Qing periods a prominent focus. This point is shared by contemporary fiction history researchers. Since literary theory is a theoretical summary of literary creation and practice, without abundant literary creation, there can be no rich literary criticism or theory. In terms of the development of ancient Chinese literature, the Ming and Qing periods were a period of great prosperity in fiction creation, and the fiction criticism and theory of this era also appeared particularly active and rich. The fiction theory and criticism of the Ming and Qing periods reached the peak of ancient Chinese fiction theory and criticism, and can also be considered the main body of the history of ancient Chinese fiction criticism. As for the writing style and methodology, this book does not adopt the more common approach of focusing on writers and works, arranging them in order, and reviewing several representative writers and works one by one. As a comprehensive history of fiction criticism, the arrangement of each section naturally focuses more on the theoretical viewpoints of fiction criticism, capturing relatively concentrated theoretical issues and stages in the history of fiction theory and criticism, paying attention to new theories, new proposals, and insights, and elaborating on the main theoretical achievements and contributions of Chinese fiction criticism in each period, as well as the relationships of inheritance, opposition, and integration in the development of these theoretical viewpoints. This is a distinctive feature of the book's conception and writing style, and also the goal we hope to achieve. Of course, it is still just an attempt.