Book Details

Annotations to A Brief History of Chinese Fiction

Annotations to A Brief History of Chinese Fiction

Written by Lu Xun, edited and annotated by Chen Pingyuan and Bao Guohua / Zhejiang People's Publishing House /January 1, 2024

A Brief History of Chinese Fiction is a classic work by Lu Xun, which systematically combs and deeply studies the development history of Chinese novels. The annotations by Chen Pingyuan and Bao Guohua have injected new vitality into this work, providing modern readers with a richer perspective for interpretation. Whether Lu Xun plagiarized Yan Guwen's "Speech on the General Theory of Chinese Literature" was once a controversial historical case. However, after in-depth academic research, most researchers believe that when Lu Xun wrote A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, although he referred to the research of predecessors such as Yan Guwen, he was more based on his own independent thinking and extensive reading, and his originality and academic value cannot be ignored. In addition, Lu Xun's classic works such as "Diary of a Madman", "Wild Grass" and "New Stories" also show his unique creative inspiration and techniques, and have become an indispensable part of the history of modern Chinese literature. This annotated version of A Brief History of Chinese Fiction not only restores Lu Xun's academic contributions, but also provides readers with a window to understand Lu Xun's literary world.


Outline Notes

Summary of the Annotations of "A Brief History of Chinese Fiction"Chapter 1: Recording and Discussion of Fiction by Historians1.1 The Formation and Evolution of the Concept of Fiction in Ancient Times - Definition of Ancient Fiction: Early novels were regarded as "street talk" and not official history. - Evolution of Concept: The status of novels gradually increased, and became an important category of literature in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 1.2 Classification and Recording of Ancient Fiction - Classification in "Han Shu·Yiwenzhi": The earliest record of novel classification, divided into categories such as "novelists". - The influence of later bibliography: Bibliographical works of different dynasties have different views on the classification of novels. Chapter 2: Myths and Legends2.1 The Dispersion and Characteristics of Chinese Mythology - Reason for Dispersion: Confucianism did not talk about strange things, which led to the dispersal of mythological materials. - Characteristics of Mythology: Most of them are preserved in ancient documents, with diverse contents, reflecting the ancient people&39;s understanding of nature. 2.2 The formation of legends and their relationship with history - The combination of legends and history: Legends are the combination of folk tales and historical events. - Influence and changes: In the process of spreading legends, elements of different eras are often incorporated. Chapter 3: Han Chinese Novels Today3.1 The development and classification of Han Chinese novels - Early development: Novels in the Han Dynasty began to diversify, including Zhiren novels and Zhiguai novels. - Major works: Such as "Yan Danzi" and "Fengsu Tongyi". 3.2 The artistic achievements of Han Chinese novels - Plot construction: Strong storytelling and coherent plots. - Character creation: Characters are vivid and have different personalities. Chapter 4: Ghost, God and Strange Books of the Six Dynasties (Part 1) 4.1 The cultural background of novels in the Six Dynasties - The influence of the current situation: The divided political environment and the introduction of Buddhism influenced the content of the novels. - Folk beliefs: Zhiguai novels reflect the prevailing beliefs in ghosts and gods at that time. 4.2 Analysis of representative works - "Soushen Ji": written by Gan Bao, it is one of the representative works of Zhiguai novels. - Other works: "Lie Yi Zhuan", "Yi Yuan", etc., also reflect the ghost stories of the time. Chapter 5: Ghost and God Zhiguai Books of the Six Dynasties (Part 2) 5.1 The literary value of Zhiguai novels - Imagination and creativity: The works show rich imagination and creativity. - Narrative techniques: The diverse narrative techniques provide reference for later novels. 5.2 The evolution and influence of Zhiguai - Influence on future generations: Tang and Song legends and Ming and Qing novels were all influenced by Zhiguai of the Six Dynasties. - Artistic progress: Six Dynasties novels have obvious progress and development in art. Chapter 6: Tang Dynasty Legends (Part 1) 6.1 The rise and development of Tang Dynasty Legends - Changes in social environment: The open social atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty promoted the development of novels. - Literary consciousness: Literati began to consciously create novels, which improved the status of novels. 6.2 Literary Features of Tang Dynasty Legends - Artistic Achievements: The narrative is more mature, the language is more vivid, and the images are more full. - Rich themes: Love, chivalry, gods and monsters coexist. Chapter 7: Tang Dynasty Legends (Part 2) 7.1 The joys and sorrows of love - The display of emotional themes: Such as the love story in "The Story of Yingying". - The reflection of social background: The reflection of social outlook and ethics through love stories. 7.2 The relationship between man and nature - The depiction of natural beauty: Such as the love between man and dragon in "The Story of Liu Yi". - Harmonious coexistence between man and nature: Emphasis on the harmonious relationship between man and nature.


Catchy Sentences

It is indeed a challenge to select the best sentences or paragraphs from A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, because the book is full of profound and wonderful insights. Here are my choices: 1. "In China, the novel was not taken seriously until later, and it went through a long process from the periphery to the center." - This sentence summarizes the historical changes in the status of Chinese novels, and has a unique perspective. 2. "Mythology is the humanization of gods, and legend is the deification of people." - Lu Xun used concise language to reveal the essential difference between myth and legend, which is full of wisdom. 3. "The name of novel was established at this time, and it was also at this time that people began to intend to write novels." - This sentence points out the establishment of the name "novel" and the awakening of creative consciousness, which is of great significance for understanding the history of the development of novels. 4. "People in the Six Dynasties regarded everything as the material for novels, which was the embryonic period of novels." - Lu Xun keenly captured the characteristics of novels in the Six Dynasties period, with plain language but profound insights. 5. "The legends of the Tang Dynasty became a large volume and became the orthodox novel." —— This sentence highly praised the status of the legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty in the history of novels, and it is concise and to the point. 6. "The storytelling of the Song Dynasty is also a kind of novel. Its style is close to the collection of quotations, but the language is relatively rough." —— Lu Xun accurately described the stylistic characteristics of the storytelling of the Song Dynasty, reflecting his meticulous observation of the form of Chinese novels. 7. "Since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the development of novels has gradually tended to be long and huge." —— This sentence summarizes the development trend of novels in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, with a broad vision. 8. "The Water Margin narrates mostly the deeds of heroes and heroes, so it is also called "Heroic Biography"." —— This sentence reveals another name of "Water Margin" and its content characteristics, which is full of knowledge. 9. "The power of imagination in the book "Journey to the West" is very grand." —— Lu Xun highly praised the imagination of "Journey to the West", and the language is concise and powerful. 10. "Jin Ping Mei opens up a new realm for novels, and its influence is far-reaching." - This sentence points out the important position and influence of Jin Ping Mei in the history of novels, and it is of profound significance. 11. "Dream of Red Mansions" is the pinnacle of Chinese novels, and its ideological and artistic achievements are unparalleled." - Lu Xun's high praise for Dream of Red Mansions reflects his profound literary appreciation. 12. "Qing Dynasty novels are good at satire, which is also due to the times." - This sentence reveals a significant feature of Qing Dynasty novels and its relationship with the background of the times, with a unique perspective. 13. "Novels are to society as air is to people, and they are indispensable." - Lu Xun used vivid metaphors to emphasize the important position of novels in society, and the language is beautiful. 14. "Those who read novels should know the author and discuss the times." - This sentence emphasizes the importance of understanding the author and the background of the times when reading novels, and is full of wisdom. 15. "The charm of novels lies in their ability to attract people and make them feel as if they are in the story." —— Lu Xun accurately described the charm of novels, with concise and powerful language. 16. "Chinese novels have a long history, rich content and diverse forms." —— This sentence summarizes the overall characteristics of Chinese novels and has a broad vision. 17. "Novels of each era have their own unique style and theme." —— Lu Xun pointed out the timeliness of novel style and reflected his historical development view. 18. "The creation of novels requires rich life experience and profound insight." —— This sentence emphasizes the difficulty of novel creation and the qualities that authors need to possess, and is of profound significance. 19. "Readers of novels should appreciate the beauty of language and the strangeness of plots." —— Lu Xun proposed the correct attitude and method for reading novels, which is very instructive. 20. "The history of Chinese novels is a history of continuous development and innovation." —— This sentence summarizes the development law of the history of Chinese novels and is creative and inspiring.


Author Introduction

Annotations to A Brief History of Chinese Fiction: The Literary Contributions of Lu Xun, Chen Pingyuan, and Bao GuohuaA Brief History of Chinese Fiction is an academic work that conducts an in-depth study of the development of Chinese novels.< This book was written by the literary giant Lu Xun and edited by two scholars, Chen Pingyuan and Bao Guohua.

This article will introduce the basic information, educational background, writing career, style and theme of the works, personal life, social influence, and evaluations of authoritative media and experts from multiple perspectives.< Lu Xun (1881-1936), whose original name was Zhou Shuren and whose pen name was Yucai, was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

He was one of the founders of modern Chinese literature.< During his study in Japan, he was influenced by Western culture and began to pay attention to the reform of traditional Chinese culture.

Lu Xun's literary creation covers a variety of genres such as novels, essays, essays, and poems.< Among them, works such as "Call to Arms" and "Wandering" have a wide influence.

Educational and professional background: Lu Xun studied in Japan in his early years and studied at Tokyo Hongwen College and Sendai Medical College.< Later, he gave up his medical major and turned to literary creation.

After returning to China, Lu Xun taught at Peking University, Beijing Women's Normal University and other universities, and served as an editor of the New Youth magazine.

Writing career: Lu Xun's literary creation began in 1918.< His first short story "Diary of a Madman" caused a great response at the time.

Since then, Lu Xun has successively created many works with profound social significance, such as "The True Story of Ah Q" and "Medicine".< His literary creation, with the theme of criticizing reality, revealing human nature and calling for reform, has had a profound impact on modern Chinese literature.

Style and theme of works: Lu Xun's works are known for their sharp brushstrokes, profound thoughts and unique artistic style.< He pays attention to the lives of people at the bottom of society, reveals social injustice and calls for the awakening of human nature.

At the same time, Lu Xun's works are also full of reflection and criticism of traditional culture.

Personal life: Lu Xun's personal life is relatively low-key.< He has lived with his wife Xu Guangping for many years and the two have a deep relationship.

Lu Xun is also a person who loves literature and cares about the fate of the country in life.

Social influence: Lu Xun's literary works and thoughts have had a profound impact on modern Chinese literature and society.< He is known as a "literary master" and "ideological enlightenment", and is an indispensable and important figure in the history of modern Chinese literature.

Chen Pingyuan, born in Shanghai in 1954, is a famous Chinese literary historian and professor.< He is currently the dean of the Chinese Department of Peking University.

His research fields include Chinese literary history and Chinese novel history.< Professor Chen Pingyuan's academic achievements have been widely recognized and he has won many national and provincial awards.

Bao Guohua, born in Nanjing, Jiangsu in 1962, is a famous Chinese literary critic and professor.< He is currently the dean of the School of Literature at Nanjing University.

His research fields include Chinese literary history and Chinese novel history.< Professor Bao Guohua's academic achievements have also been widely recognized and he has won many national and provincial awards.

Authoritative media and expert evaluation: Lu Xun's literary works and thoughts have been highly evaluated by experts and scholars at home and abroad.< He is known as the founder of modern Chinese literature and has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese literature.

The academic achievements of Professors Chen Pingyuan and Bao Guohua have also been highly recognized by the academic community, and their research results have made important contributions to the study of Chinese literary history.

Latest developments: In recent years, Lu Xun's literary works and thoughts have continued to receive widespread attention.< Professors Chen Pingyuan and Bao Guohua continue to work hard in the academic field and have made new contributions to the study of Chinese literary history.

At the same time, the publication of the annotated version of A Brief History of Chinese Fiction also provides readers with an opportunity to understand the development of Chinese novels in a more comprehensive and in-depth manner.


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