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The Columbia Companion to Modern Chinese Literature
The Columbia Companion to Modern Chinese Literature features more than fifty short essays on specific writers and literary trends from the Qing period (1895–1911) to the present. The volume opens with thematic essays on the politics and ethics of writing literary history, the formation of the canon, the relationship between language and form, the role of literary institutions and communities, the effects of censorship, the representation of the Chinese diaspora, the rise and meaning of Sinophone literature, and the role of different media in the development of literature. Subsequent essays focus on authors, their works, and the schools with which they were aligned, featuring key names, titles, and terms in English and in Chinese characters. Woven throughout are pieces on late Qing fiction, popular entertainment fiction, martial arts fiction, experimental theater, post-Mao avant-garde poetry, post–martial law fiction from Taiwan, contemporary genre fiction from China, and recent Internet literature. The volume includes essays on such authors as Liang Qichao, Lu Xun, Shen Congwen, Eileen Chang, Jin Yong, Mo Yan, Wang Anyi, Gao Xingjian, and Yan Lianke. Both a teaching tool and a go-to research companion, this volume is a one-of-a-kind resource for mastering modern literature in the Chinese-speaking world.
- GenresChina
488 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2016
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October 14, 2021
A fine starter for anyone interested in contemporary Chinese literature. Everything that mattered (and still does) is included.
One could argue about the balance/representation – why Yan Lianke gets a whole chapter, while Yu Hua (or, let's say, Zhang Aileen) doesn't, and so forth, but I am not going to be very picky about that. Yet, it is hard for me to resist an impression that the companion somewhat omits some minor topics that could be considered relevant by the Chinese scholars, such as how literature grapples with the history of PRC (new historicism), discussions on national character, and others.
To sum up – a very readable collection of essays that may serve as a starting point for further digging.
One could argue about the balance/representation – why Yan Lianke gets a whole chapter, while Yu Hua (or, let's say, Zhang Aileen) doesn't, and so forth, but I am not going to be very picky about that. Yet, it is hard for me to resist an impression that the companion somewhat omits some minor topics that could be considered relevant by the Chinese scholars, such as how literature grapples with the history of PRC (new historicism), discussions on national character, and others.
To sum up – a very readable collection of essays that may serve as a starting point for further digging.
Displaying 1 of 1 review