History of Chinese Fiction--Illustrated Edition

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: When Lu Xun (1881-1936) passed away, Cai Yuanpei presented a (eulogy couplet) that read: "His writings were meticulous, not merely a history of Chinese fiction; his parting words were too sorrowful, do not become a hollow literary figure." This shows how important A Brief History of Chinese Fiction was in Cai Yuanpei's eyes within the entire intellectual heritage of Lu Xun. Lu Xun's life was marked by brilliant achievements in many fields, and both Mao Zedong and Zhang Wentian pointed out that he was a great litterateur, thinker, and revolutionary. This is undoubtedly profound. Cai Yuanpei's, however, emphasized Lu Xun's significance as a great scholar, praising his outstanding contributions and intellectual style as a scholar. Lu Xun wrote extensively, and it is particularly meaningful to highlight A Brief History of Chinese Fiction as a model.
A Brief History of Chinese Fiction consists of twenty-eight chapters. Except for the chapter "Historians' Records and Discourses on Fiction," chapters 2 to 28 systematically explore the origins and development of Chinese fiction. It traces the roots back to ancient myths and legends, then sequentially discusses the various stages of the history of Chinese fiction, from Han Dynasty fiction, Six Dynasties fiction, to Tang and Song Dynasty legends. From Song Dynasty storytelling and imitation storytelling, to Yuan and Ming Dynasty historical tales, Ming Dynasty fantasy and romance novels, and Qing Dynasty imitation Tang and Song fiction, satire, romance, erotic novels, martial arts and detective fiction, all the way to late Qing Dynasty condemnation novels. The book comprehensively examines the emergence, development, and evolution of Chinese fiction, analyzes the social, historical, ideological, and cultural backgrounds of its rise and fall, introduces major representative writers and works from each era, and critiques the ideological and artistic characteristics, achievements, and shortcomings of various fiction genres. Its content is extremely rich, making it a comprehensive and historically coherent general history of Chinese fiction.
The writing of A Brief History of Chinese Fiction fully reflects the admirable courage and scholarship of Lu Xun as a pioneer in the study of Chinese fiction history. The first monograph on Chinese fiction history written by Lu Xun, and for this great writer to lay a solid foundation for the study of Chinese fiction history, is highly meaningful and.