A Brief History of Chinese Fiction (Commentary and Interpretation Edition)

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: A work on the history of ancient Chinese fiction. Written by Lu Xun. This is the lecture notes from the course on the History of Chinese Fiction that the author taught at Peking University between 1920 and 1924. The first edition was published in two volumes by the New Tide Society of Peking University in December 1923 and June of the following year, originally titled "A Brief Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction," which was later renamed "An Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction." In September 1925, after slight revisions by the author, it was published as a single volume by Beiping Book Company. In 1930, three chapters were revised, and a second edition was reprinted. The entire work consists of 28 chapters, narrating the emergence, development, and evolution of ancient Chinese fiction, starting from myths and legends and ending with the condemnation novels of the late Qing Dynasty. It is the first specialized history of Chinese fiction. Additionally, there is one chapter titled "Historical Changes in Chinese Fiction," which is the lecture notes from the author's teaching in Xi'an in July 1924. It can be considered a summary of "An Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction" and is now included in "The Complete Works of Lu Xun." The standalone edition also includes this chapter. "An Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction" is rich in content and meticulously compiled. As early as 1912, the author collected 36 ancient fictions from the Han to the Sui dynasties. During the teaching process, the author also compiled "The Collection of Tang and Song Legends" and "Rectify and Correct," distinguishing between genuine and spurious works, correcting errors, and tracing their origins. At the same time, the author compiled "Notes on Ancient Fiction," which collected historical materials on 41 fictions from the Song to the late Qing Dynasty. It was compiled by extracting, verifying, and organizing records from numerous notes, miscellaneous collections, and ancient books. "An Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction" outlines a clear "line of progress" for thousands of years of Chinese fiction, analyzing the thoughts and art of fiction from various dynasties concisely and appropriately. Under the historical conditions of the time, "An Outline of the History of Chinese Fiction" was a representative specialized work on the history of literature.