ABSTRACT
The Routledge Handbook of Modern Chinese Literature presents a comprehensive overview of Chinese literature from the 1910s to the present day. Featuring detailed studies of selected masterpieces, it adopts a thematic-comparative approach. By developing an innovative conceptual framework predicated on a new theory of periodization, it thus situates Chinese literature in the context of world literature, and the forces of globalization.
Each section consists of a series of contributions examining the major literary genres, including fiction, poetry, essay drama and film. Offering an exciting account of the century-long process of literary modernization in China, the handbook’s themes include:
- Modernization of people and writing
- Realism, rmanticism and mdernist asthetics
- Chinese literature on the stage and screen
- Patriotism, war and revolution
- Feminism, liberalism and socialism
- Literature of reform, reflection and experimentation
- Literature of Taiwan, Hong Kong and new media
This handbook provides an integration of biographical narrative with textual analysis, maintaining a subtle balance between comprehensive overview and in-depth examination. As such, it is an essential reference guide for all students and scholars of Chinese literature.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|198 pages
Early modern literature (c. 1910s–1942)
section I|76 pages
Realism and the anatomy of Chineseness
chapter 6|13 pages
Fiction of left-wing writers
section II|43 pages
Romanticism and the new people
section III|40 pages
Modernist aesthetics and sensibilities
section IV|36 pages
Old and new Chinese on stage and screen
part II|218 pages
Middle modern literature (late 1930s–1977)
section V|43 pages
Poetry and patriotism
section VI|40 pages
Topical plays and modern essays
section VII|38 pages
Literature of revolutionary realism
section VIII|41 pages
Proto-feminism and liberal realism
section IX|52 pages
Literature of socialist realism
part III|79 pages
Late modern literature (late 1970s–early 1990s)
section X|38 pages
Literature of trauma, memory, reflection
section XI|39 pages
Literature of experiments and innovation
part IV|167 pages
Postmodern literature (late 1980s–present)
section XII|50 pages
Literature of new realism
section XIII|48 pages
Postmodern realism
section XIV|67 pages
Literature of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and new media