Modern Prose - Selected Prose Works of Zhou Zuoren

Author: Zhou Zuoren (Author), Zhang Juxiang (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features:
1. This series of "Modern Prose Collections" is a part of the "Baihua Prose Series." It selects renowned and outstanding works of prose writers from 1917 to 1949, organized into individual volumes dedicated to each author.
2. The selected authors are all famous prose writers of that period, and the chosen works are carefully curated to reflect the developmental trajectory of each author's prose writing.
3. Each volume begins with an extensive critical preface exceeding 10,000 words, providing a brief introduction to the author's literary level and analyzing and evaluating their artistic characteristics, creative development, and influence, in conjunction with the selected prose.
4. The selected works are annotated with their original publication sources and dates where possible; necessary annotations are also provided for passages that may be difficult to understand.
Zhou Zuoren's most significant achievement in his literary career was his prose sketches. Since the May Fourth Movement, the success of prose sketches in Chinese new literature has been almost unparalleled compared to novels, plays, and poetry (Lu Xun, "The Crisis of the Prose Sketch"). This success is inseparable from Zhou Zuoren's contributions. In the early days of the new literature movement, Zhou Zuoren, alongside Lu Xun, Xie Bingxin, Zhu Ziqing, and others, devoted to nurturing the early blossoms of modern vernacular prose, which combined narrative, reasoning, and emotion into a single form. This convincingly declared the victory of the literary revolution in the realm of prose writing, established the position of prose as a literary genre in the history of modern Chinese literature, and profoundly influenced later prose writing.
Zhou Zuoren holds an undeniable historical position in the development of modern Chinese prose, a status inseparable from his outstanding artistic achievements in prose. The primary artistic achievement of Zhou Zuoren's prose lies in his creation of a unique and mature prose style—calm and unpretentious. This style stands out as a lone tree in the vast garden of modern Chinese prose, and its influence has given rise to a distinct school in the history of modern Chinese prose. The artistic style of Zhou Zuoren's prose is characterized by: a free and unrestrained writing style, a calm and serene lyrical quality, a blend of solemnity and humor, and a relaxed and natural linguistic expression.
This book collects 72 of Zhou Zuoren's major prose works. Zhou Zuoren was a renowned prose writer during the May Fourth Movement, whose works are distinguished by their calm and unpretentious, free and unrestrained style. The editor provides a detailed discussion of his life and the artistic characteristics of his prose in the preface, serving as a valuable reference for readers.