Lu Xun's prose and essays

Author: Lu Xun (Author), Li Xiaoming (Editor-in-Chief), Sun Lijuan (Deputy Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features:
Essays are the literary form Lu Xun used the most in his life. Through essays, Lu Xun revealed his image as a revolutionary who fought relentlessly against old forces. His essays are mostly collected in Three Whirlwinds, Two Hearts, Wolongtan Essays, Second Collection of Wolongtan Essays, and Final Collection of Wolongtan Essays. The content of Lu Xun's essays is quite "diverse," with two main characteristics:
1. They reflect Chinese society with considerable depth and breadth, allowing people to clearly see the historical appearance of modern and contemporary China. From a single essay, his critiques often focus on specific, small, and ordinary matters, but when combined, they present a complete social image. Therefore, his essays are highly general and representative.
2. Lu Xun was deeply concerned with the reform of Chinese national character throughout his life, and this work was mainly accomplished through his essays. Lu Xun's essays are very vivid, and the reasoning, argumentation, criticism, and refutation in his writings are all expressed through vivid imagery, giving his essays a rich artistic quality. The style of Lu Xun's essays is free and varied, with short critiques being his most common form. His writing style is either severe and austere, fresh and enduring, sharp and incisive, bold and biting, or profound and meaningful, diverse and unbound by convention. His essays are a literary form with significant influence in modern literature.
Lu Xun was also an important pioneer of modern prose poetry, with these works collected in Wild Grass. The content of Wild Grass includes:
1. Satire on worldly affairs and criticism of dark politics, such as The Dog's Rebuttal, Revenge, and Faint Traces of Blood.
2. Expressing his struggles and frustrations in navigating the darkness, such as Autumn Night, The Traveler, and Farewell of the Shadow.
Lu Xun's reflective essays are collected in Evening Chrysanthemums Plucked at Dusk. Some essays inherit traditional prose characteristics, conveying profound thoughts through plain and simple language in depicting people and events. Moreover, when reflecting on past sentiments, he often offers commentary, expressing dissatisfaction with the current state.