Routledge Handbook of Modern Chinese Literature

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.

General introduction: writing modern Chinese literature in English, Ming Dong Gu Part I Early modern literature (c. 1910s–1942) Introduction: national salvation and human enlightenment Section I Realism and the anatomy of Chineseness 1. Lu Xun’s writings: modernizing Chinese language andconsciousness, Ming Dong Gu 2. Mao Dun and his masterpieces, Theodore Huters 3. Ba Jin’s fiction and The Family, Kristin Stapleton 4. Lao She’s fiction and Camel Xiangzi, Lena Rydholm 5. Li Jieren’s fiction and Ripples on Dead Water, Kenny K. K. Ng 6. Fiction of Left-wing writers: between ideological commitment and aesthetic dedication, Nicoletta Pesaro Section II Romanticism and the new people 7. Imagining new Chinese in Guo Moruo’s poetry, Paolo Magagnin 8. Romanticizing new Chinese in poetry: Zhu Ziqing, Wen Yiduo, Xu Zimo, Frederik H. Green 9. Yu Dafu’s romantic fiction: youth consciousness in crisis, Tong He Section III Modernist aesthetics and sensibilities 10. Modern consciousness and symbolist poetry: Fei Ming, Li Jinfa and others, Gang Zhou 11. The poetry of Dai Wangshu: where tradition meets modernism, Yaohua Shi 12. The new sensationalists: Shi Zhecun, Mu Shiying, Liu Nai’ou,Christopher Rosenmeier Section IV Old and new Chinese on stage and screen 13. Early modern drama: Hong Shen, Ouyang Yuqian, Xia Yan, Xiaowen Xu 14. Cao Yu’s plays and Thunderstorm, Liangyan Ge 15. Masterpieces of early cinema, Corrado Neri Part II Middle modern literature (late 1930s–1977) Introduction: war, revolution, and the individual Section V Poetry and patriotism 16. Zang Kejia and Tian Jian’s poetry: a clarion for national salvation, Yang Bingfeng 17. Ai Qing’s poetry and Dayanhe, My Nurse, Victor Vuilleumier 18. Feng Zhi, MU Dan and the nine leaves, Gloria Davies Section VI Topical plays and modern essays 19. Historical plays of Guo Moruo and Tian Han, Ning Ma 20. Plays of Chen Baichen and Yang Hansheng, Letizia Fusini 21. Modern Chinese essays: Zhou Zuoren, Lin Yutang and others, Tonglu Li Section VII Literature of revolutionary realism 22. Novels of Zhao Shuli and Sun Li: chronicles of new peasantry, Tonglu Li 23. Zhou Libo’s fiction and The Hurricane, Marco Fumian 24. Fiction of Yang Mo and Ouyang Shan: from new youth to revolutionary youth, Yuehong Chen Section VIII Proto-feminism and liberal realism 25. Ding Ling’s feminist writings: new women in crisis of subjectivity, Géraldine Fiss 26. Eileen Chang’s fiction: a study of alienated human nature, Ming Dong Gu 27. Independent writers: Shen Congwen, Xu Dishan, Qian Zhongshu, Philip Williams Section IX Literature of socialist realism 28. Fiction of new China (1949–1966), Xiangshu Fang and Lijun Bi 29. Poetry of new China (1949–1966), Lijun Bi and Xiangshu Fang 30. Dramas of new China (1949–1966), Weijie Song 31. Literature of the Cultural Revolution, Lena Henningsen Part III Late modern literature (late 1970s–early 1990s) Introduction: humanist revival and literary renaissance Section X Literature of trauma, memory, reflection 32. Literature of trauma and reflections, Meng Li and King-fai Tam 33. Literature of reform and root-seeking, Meng Li and King-fai Tam 34. Films of reflection and nativity, Yanjie Wang Section XI Literature of experiments and innovation 35. Avant-garde fiction: Can Xue, Ma Yuan, Yu Hua and others, Irmy Schweiger 36. Experimental and opaque poetry: Bei Dao, Shu Ting, Gu Cheng, and others, Cosima Bruno 37. Plays of late modern period, Liang Luo Part IV Postmodern literature (late 1980s–present) Introduction: multiplicity of themes and forms Section XII Literature of new realism 38. Fiction of Wang Meng and Alai: new approaches to historical fiction, Mei-Hsuan Chiang 39. Yu Hua’s and Su Tong’s fiction, Anne Wedell-Wedellsborg 40. Jia Pingwa and Chen Zhongshi: two masters of rural literature, Yiju Huang 41. Female neo-realism: masterworks of Zhang Jie, Wang Anyi, and Chi Li, Hui Faye Xiao Section XIII Postmodern realism 42. Mo Yan’s fiction: human existence beyond good and evil, Tonglu Li 43. Gao Xingjian and Soul Mountain, Carolyn Fitzgerald 44. Ge Fei and his South of Yangtse Trilogy, Andrea Riemenschnitter 45. Bi Feiyu’s fiction: portraits of the disadvantaged, Xiuyin Peng Section XIV Literature of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and new media 46. Postwar Taiwan literature: an overview, Christopher Lupke 47. Masterpieces of Taiwan fiction: Chen Yingzhen and Bai Xianyong, Pei-yin Lin 48. Masterpieces of Taiwan poetry: Ji Xian and Yu Guangzhong, Pei-yin Lin 49. Hong Kong literature: an overview, Paul B. Foster 50. Chinese internet literature: digital literary genres and new writing subjects, Guozhong Duan Conclusion: a review of Chinese literature since the 1980s, Chen Xiaoming

Ming Dong Gu is Distinguished Professor of Foreign Studies at Shenzhen University, China and Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA. His recent publications include Sinologism: An Alternative to Orientalism and Postcolonialism (2013), Translating China for Western Readers (editor, 2014) and Why Traditional Chinese Philosophy Still Matters (editor, 2018).