Reflections on Masterpieces of Classical Prose by Xiao Qian - Rebirth

Author: Qian Xue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Classics are the treasures left behind by time, portraits and annotations of human nature. The significance of classics lies in their freshness with repeated readings, remaining an unchanging landscape on the bookshelves of readers regardless of how time flows. In the ever-changing space and time, in the irreversible process of life, classics are the words, sounds, and expressions that have conquered time. Those sincere statements, those fearless cries, those reflections on the human spirit, awaken our past hopes, inspire our current courage, and free us from emptiness, vanity, and doubt about the future. These figures of wisdom and their timeless words purify our souls, shake our spirits, and teach us what can be missed but not forgotten, and what is fleeting yet precious.
The authors included in "Insights into Masterpieces of Classic Fiction" are all scavengers and pioneers of modern Chinese literature, as well as experimenters and pioneers of various new artistic forms. No wonder Shi Zhecun, with a touch of pride, once told me that he was not impressed by the various so-called artistic explorations of younger writers who emerged after the 1980s, especially their attempts at many "avant-garde" modernist techniques like symbolism, impressionism, and stream of consciousness. "All of these," he said, "we did in the 1930s, and even better than they did. It’s nothing new."
Indeed, every era should have its own literature. But classic literature does not belong solely to its own time; it also belongs to later generations of readers who can appreciate and share an artistic connection with it.