A Cultural History of Modern Chinese Literature

The first English translation of Wu Fuhui's cultural history of modern Chinese literature from the late nineteenth century to 1949.

Fuhui Wu (Author)

9781107069497, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 February 2020

856 pages, 680 b/w illus. 10 maps 21 tables
26 x 18.4 x 4.3 cm, 1.94 kg

This is an illustrated cultural history of the emergence of modern literature in China from the late nineteenth century through the early years of the Chinese Republic, the 1930s and the war period, ending in 1949. Wu Fuhui takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic, drawing in book production, translation, popular and elite texts, international influences and political history. Presented here in English translation for the first time, Wu argues that this was a transformative period in Chinese literature informed both by developments in China's domestic history and the dynamics of global circulation and encounter.

List of illustrations
List of maps
List of tables
Introduction to the English edition David Der-wei Wang
Preface
Part I. Promise of New Opportunities: 1. Wangping Street – Fuzhou Road: change of the scene of Chinese literature
2. Vernacular newspapers and transformation of the written language of literature
3. Earliest intellectuals with global outlook
4. The 'new literary style' movement, a political motion in origin
5. Chronicle of literary events in the year 1903 (an era of literary accumulation)
6. The rising of urban popular novels in an emerging international trading centre
7. Emerging elites of the south society
8. From Suzhou and Yangzhou to Shanghai: literature of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Literary School
Part II. The May Fourth Enlightenment Movement: 9. Introduction of spoken drama into China: the earliest theatre performances
10. Building a bridge to world literature
11. Incubation of a literary revolution home and abroad
12. Rise of radicals from the New Youth and Peking University and Conservatives' Counter Claims
13. Chronicle of literary events in the year 1921 (an era of literary enlightenment)
14. A literary niche created by newspapers, magazines and publishing houses of Beijing and Shanghai
15. Leading breakthroughs in modern vernacular poetry and short stories
16. A history of the dissemination and acceptance of 'The True Story of Ah Q'
17. 'Yu Si', 'casual talks' and vernacular prose style
18. Discovery of peasants and local colours by earlier native-soil literature
19. Literary solace for urban citizens
Part III. The Coexistence of Diverse Types of Literature: 20. To the South: the return of literary centre
21. Popularity, deepening and disputes of the left-wing literature
22. Novels strongly characteristic of the era
23. The successive boom of era-specific and individualized literary writings
24. The graceful beauties of Belles-lettres by Beijing School Authors
25. The new sensations of Shanghai School in the modern metropolis
26. The literary horizon of two types of civilian society
27. The professional theatre spoken drama in its mature stage
28. Chronicle of literary events in the year 1936 (an era of diversification)
29. Interactions between cinematographic art and literature
30. Timely and overall embrace of world literature
Part IV. Under the Clouds of War: 31. Forming of multiple literary centres under the clouds of war
32. Intellectuals' economic conditions and their writing lifestyle
33. Chongqing: national salvation literature, from boom to split
34. Yan'an: from the wartime art and literature for the masses to the guiding principle of art and literature for workers, peasants and soldiers
35. Guilin: the upsurge of theatre and publishing phenomenon of the wartime 'cultural city'
36. Kunming: reflections on personal experience of the era
37. Shanghai and others: the pain of homelessness and the roundabout development of urban popular literature
38. Hong Kong and Taiwan: separation, autonomy and growth of new literature
39. From peasants to urban citizens: new momentum for the development of popular literature
40. Chronicle of literary events in the year 1948 (an era of transition)
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary reference works [DSR], Literary studies: from c 1900 - [DSBH], Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF], Literary studies: general [DSB]