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Jottings under Lamplight
Lu Xun (1881-1936) is widely considered the greatest writer of twentieth-century China. Although primarily known for his two slim volumes of short fiction, he was a prolific and inventive essayist. Jottings under Lamplight showcases Lu Xun's versatility as a master of prose forms and his brilliance as a cultural critic with translations of sixty-two of his essays, twenty of which are translated here for the first time.
While a medical student in Tokyo, Lu Xun viewed a photographic slide that purportedly inspired his literary calling: it showed the decapitation of a Chinese man by a Japanese soldier, as Chinese bystanders watched apathetically. He felt that what his countrymen needed was a cure not for their physical ailments but for their souls. Autobiographical accounts describing this and other formative life experiences are included in Jottings, along with a wide variety of cultural commentaries, from letters, speeches, and memorials to parodies and treatises.
Lu Xun was remarkably well versed in Chinese tradition and playfully manipulated its ancient forms. But he also turned away from historical convention, experimenting with new literary techniques and excoriating the "slave mentality" of a population paralyzed by Confucian hierarchies. Tinged at times with notes of despair, yet also with pathos, humor, and an unparalleled caustic wit, Lu Xun's essays chronicle the tumultuous transformations of his own life and times, providing penetrating insights into Chinese culture and society.
While a medical student in Tokyo, Lu Xun viewed a photographic slide that purportedly inspired his literary calling: it showed the decapitation of a Chinese man by a Japanese soldier, as Chinese bystanders watched apathetically. He felt that what his countrymen needed was a cure not for their physical ailments but for their souls. Autobiographical accounts describing this and other formative life experiences are included in Jottings, along with a wide variety of cultural commentaries, from letters, speeches, and memorials to parodies and treatises.
Lu Xun was remarkably well versed in Chinese tradition and playfully manipulated its ancient forms. But he also turned away from historical convention, experimenting with new literary techniques and excoriating the "slave mentality" of a population paralyzed by Confucian hierarchies. Tinged at times with notes of despair, yet also with pathos, humor, and an unparalleled caustic wit, Lu Xun's essays chronicle the tumultuous transformations of his own life and times, providing penetrating insights into Chinese culture and society.
329 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2017
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About the author
Lu Xun
1,111 books399 followersLu Xun (鲁迅) or Lu Hsün (Wade-Giles), was the pen name of Zhou Shuren (September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936), a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. Writing in Vernacular Chinese as well as Classical Chinese, Lu Xun was a novelist, editor, translator, literary critic, essayist, and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the League of Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.
For the Traditional Chinese profile: here.
For the Simplified Chinese profile: 鲁迅
For the Traditional Chinese profile: here.
For the Simplified Chinese profile: 鲁迅
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 29, 2021
"The world is full of people lacking comfort, and there are also those intent on nothing other than creating a realm of comfort for themselves. This should not be so cheaply achieved, and we should thus place some odious things before them to afflict them with a bit of discomfort now and then."
If you don't know Lu Xun, then you can barely consider yourself sentient. He is one of the great 20th century essayists, right up there with Orwell and Benjamin and actually fits in well since he is, like Orwell, a very funny and persistent gadfly, and, like Benjamin, very interested in culture and how it affects things like politics. Although this is a collection intended, I think, to give the Lu Xun newbie a window into the larger corpus of his writings, it actually isn't what I would recommend to begin with. Yes, the selections here are representative of LX's sharp wit, his weariness at the entire political spectrum, and his persistent claims to his own absurdity. But they are not organized very well. If you know LX, you might be a little baffled since his excellent prefaces and memorials are all separated out here into their own respective sections, and the actual essays come last, a very curious way of doing things. Also, some of the new translations seem a little "off". If you're new to LX, I'd recommend starting with the full volumes of his essays, not this compilation. If you love and adore LX, as I do, this volume serves as a nice accretion of some of his more notable works.
If you don't know Lu Xun, then you can barely consider yourself sentient. He is one of the great 20th century essayists, right up there with Orwell and Benjamin and actually fits in well since he is, like Orwell, a very funny and persistent gadfly, and, like Benjamin, very interested in culture and how it affects things like politics. Although this is a collection intended, I think, to give the Lu Xun newbie a window into the larger corpus of his writings, it actually isn't what I would recommend to begin with. Yes, the selections here are representative of LX's sharp wit, his weariness at the entire political spectrum, and his persistent claims to his own absurdity. But they are not organized very well. If you know LX, you might be a little baffled since his excellent prefaces and memorials are all separated out here into their own respective sections, and the actual essays come last, a very curious way of doing things. Also, some of the new translations seem a little "off". If you're new to LX, I'd recommend starting with the full volumes of his essays, not this compilation. If you love and adore LX, as I do, this volume serves as a nice accretion of some of his more notable works.
April 13, 2025
Lu Xun you absolute madman!!! (Lol) picked this up after giving a presentation on Lu Xun’s influence in the Creative Print Movement and finding myself hungry to learn more about his stance on revolutionary art making practices. the essays are still so sharp, with many moments of humor and wisdom. the arrangement of these essays can feel a little random, but I’m not so bothered by that. I have become enamored by Lu Xun and I understand how a nation could feel this way too. Of course, I don’t agree with him with every sentence and syllable, but overall this was a very engaging, albeit at times random, collection.
“I consider the job done when things look more or less acceptable and can be handed in. It is true that I often dissect others, but I dissect myself even more mercilessly, and when I publish a bit of this, those passionate about human warmth consider it quite callous; if I revealed my blood and flesh in its entirety, I don't know where it would lead. Sometimes I also want to use this to drive those around me away, but when I do and they still don't spurn me, even if they are monsters, they become my friends, and they are, in fact, my true friends. And if I lack even these, then being alone will still be all right. But now I am not alone, because I am not that brave, the reason being that I still want to live and be part of society.” 32
“All this, however, is more or less just a passage of words. Yet, as long as I am still breathing, and as long as they are mine, I like gathering up the traces from the past from time to time, knowing full well they are worthless; yet I can't help feeling some attachment to them.” 31
“A man who wants to commit suicide may be afraid of the vast expanse of the ocean, afraid of how easily corpses rot in the summer.
But when he encounters the clear and placid pond and the refreshing air of the autumn night, he usually will still commit suicide.” 210
“I consider the job done when things look more or less acceptable and can be handed in. It is true that I often dissect others, but I dissect myself even more mercilessly, and when I publish a bit of this, those passionate about human warmth consider it quite callous; if I revealed my blood and flesh in its entirety, I don't know where it would lead. Sometimes I also want to use this to drive those around me away, but when I do and they still don't spurn me, even if they are monsters, they become my friends, and they are, in fact, my true friends. And if I lack even these, then being alone will still be all right. But now I am not alone, because I am not that brave, the reason being that I still want to live and be part of society.” 32
“All this, however, is more or less just a passage of words. Yet, as long as I am still breathing, and as long as they are mine, I like gathering up the traces from the past from time to time, knowing full well they are worthless; yet I can't help feeling some attachment to them.” 31
“A man who wants to commit suicide may be afraid of the vast expanse of the ocean, afraid of how easily corpses rot in the summer.
But when he encounters the clear and placid pond and the refreshing air of the autumn night, he usually will still commit suicide.” 210
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews