Twentieth-Century Chinese Novel Theory Materials (Volume 5, 1949-1976)

Author: Hong Zicheng (Editor)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1997-02-01
Features:
1. The novel theory materials collected in this volume range from 1949 to 1976.
2. The scope of the collected materials primarily includes critical writings on novels from periodicals and publications during this period, as well as materials that reflect the style and concepts of novels from that era. This includes discussions on writers and their works, prefaces and postfaces to collections of works, talks on creative experiences, debates on novel writing and theoretical issues, surveys on novel reading, and excerpts from individual novels.
3. Due to the significant increase in literary journals and newspaper supplements during this period (primarily the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s), as well as the substantial growth in the quantity of novel, the theoretical and critical materials on novels also expanded greatly, with a large number of reviews on specific writers and works. The primary basis for selecting materials in this collection is their importance in reflecting the changes, developments, and variations in themes, subjects, character creation, and artistic forms in novel during this period, rather than compiling a mere collection of writer and work reviews. Materials on the direction of novel development, stylistic features, the "path of nationalization," and the relationship between "elegant" and "popular" in novel are of particular attention.
4. To preserve the original form of the materials, most are included in full. Some are excerpted either because the original articles were too lengthy or because other parts were relatively unrelated to novels.
5. The authorship of the articles is based on their initial publication. The notes are all original, and the editor does not add additional annotations. In some materials marked with an asterisk, a brief "title explanation" is added to provide necessary context. In the early 1950s, quotation marks and book titles were not distinguished, but they are now standardized according to common punctuation rules. The initial source of the materials is noted in parentheses at the end of each article, and subsequent publications are not listed individually.