Chinese Literature

This accessible, illustrated introduction takes the reader through the rich Chinese literary tradition from ancient times to the twentieth century.

Dan Yao (Author), Jinhui Deng (Author), Feng Wang (Author), Huiyun Tang (Author)

9780521186780, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 9 March 2012

260 pages
23 x 15.6 x 1.3 cm, 0.46 kg

Chinese literature has a long, distinctive history and has played an important part in shaping the cultural identity of the Chinese people. This literature provides a window into human relationships, society, politics, spirituality and philosophy at any given time in China's history. This accessible, illustrated introduction takes the reader through the rich Chinese literary tradition from ancient times to the twentieth century, exploring poetry, opera, drama, novels, short stories, the modern media and the authors who created these cultural treasures.

Foreword
Part I. Ancient Chinese Literature: 1. The book of songs: the earliest anthology of poetry
2. Prose writing during the spring and autumn and warring states periods
3. Qu Yuan: a romantic lyricist
4. Records of the historians
5. Literature in the Wei and Jin period
6. Li Bai and Du Fu: the two summits of Tang poetry
7. Ci poetry: poems to be sung
8. Yuan opera: Guan Hanqing and Wang Shifu
Classical fiction in the Ming Dynasty: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh and Journey to the West
9. Short stories of the Qing Dynasty
10. A dream of red mansions: the pinnacle of Classical literature
Part II. Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature: 11. Lu Xun: founder of new vernacular literature
12. Modern fiction: echo of the times
13. New poetry finding a voice of their own
14. Modern drama
15. Literature in the new era
16. Literature today
Appendix: chronological table of the Chinese dynasties.

Subject Areas: Cultural studies [JFC], Asian history [HBJF], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literature: history & criticism [DS]