Twentieth-Century Chinese Novel Theory Materials (Volume 1) 1897-1916

Author: Chen Pingyuan, edited by Xia Xiaohong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-02-01
Features:
1. The modern Chinese fiction theory materials in this volume range from 1897 to 1916.
2. The scope includes essays, prefaces, reviews, notes, letters, speeches, monographs, etc. Long excerpts are appropriately abridged.
3. The selection focuses on: first, materials related to important writers and works of this period; second, the founding statements of fiction magazines; third, introductions to Western fiction and reevaluations of traditional fiction.
4. During this period, most fiction writers and theorists emphasized the role of fiction in enlightening the public and improving society, with similar arguments. However, the evolution of fiction's artistic forms and techniques, though unconscious, deserves more attention.
5. The proportion of selected materials generally becomes simpler later in the period. This is because earlier materials are rarer and more valuable, while later materials are more abundant and require more careful selection.
6. At the end of the volume, there is an index titled "Bibliography of Chinese Fiction Theory Materials (1897-1916)."