Transformation of Literary Styles (Contemporary and Modern Chinese Prose in the Social-Historical Depth)

Author: Li Linrong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Transformation of Literary Forms: Modern and Contemporary Chinese Prose in the Depth of Social History is a collection of my main achievements in the study and exploration of modern and contemporary Chinese prose over the past ten years. The earliest chapter, Chapter 6, was drafted in December 1994, while the latest chapters, Chapters 24 and 25, were finally completed by the end of 2005. The study of modern and contemporary Chinese prose became a major focus of my professional work starting in the fall of 1994 when I enrolled in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University as a master's student. At that time, the field of Chinese literature research was undergoing a strong impact from Western 20th-century literary theories. The study of novels, poems, and even dramas was experiencing a dynamic and noisy scene of ever-renewing new terms and concepts, making the study of prose, especially modern and contemporary prose, seem particularly quiet and bleak in comparison. As a Chinese literature major with an undergraduate background in science and engineering, I could not help but cautiously follow my advisor's advice and chose to focus on prose research, which was said to be the least demanding and most accessible among the various literary forms.