History of Ancient Chinese Literature (3 Volumes)

Author: Ma Jigao, Huang Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Among the approximately two hundred literary histories published this century, most are organized by dynastic changes. Although for a period, the slogan "Overthrow the dynastic system" became quite popular, completely disregarding the dynastic system and establishing separate stages for the development of Chinese literature has yet to yield recognized and influential results. The reason lies in the fact that the rise and fall of feudal dynasties are often the result of mutual struggles and constraints among various social contradictions, making them a necessary part of the political, economic, and cultural development process. They also give rise to distinct literary characteristics for each dynasty. As a literary history, it is undeniable that one must summarize and inherit the research achievements of predecessors while also examining and reviewing the development of Chinese literature over the past two thousand years from the perspective of the times. The question lies in: how can these two aspects be unified. The authors' understanding is that applying contemporary awareness does not mean judging the ancients by the standards of modern thought and art, but rather summarizing the research achievements of predecessors from the perspective of the times. This is essentially using historical and aesthetic perspectives to provide a fitting evaluation of ancient writers and works, with the aim of determining their place in the history of Chinese literature.