After Mao: Chinese Literature and Society, 1978–1981 (Harvard Contemporary China Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674008855 ISBN 13: 9780674008854

Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center, 1985

Synopsis

This is the first book in English to analyze the Chinese literary scene during the post-Mao thaw in government control. The seven contributors originally presented their research at a 1982 international conference at St. John’s University, New York, which was attended by scholars from America, Europe, and Asia, including participants from the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.

The special focus on popular literature―science fiction, love stories, detective fiction―reflects China’s new urban mass culture. These popular genres, plus the new “obscure” poetry, and the short-lived literary magazine Today are examined from an international comparative perspective and from a variety of viewpoints―literary, social, historical, political.

Those social and political realities that help determine what books are on hand in China for people to read are discussed. The final chapter presents data on periodical sales, book sales, library borrowings, and readers’ stated preferences in large cities, with emphasis on Canton. Such investigations into what the Chinese public was writing and reading in the years 1978–1981 throw new light on Chinese social attitudes, ideals, morals, and taste.

About this title

About the Author:

Shen Congwen (1902-1988) is one of the most influential writers in China's modern history. His novel "Border Town" was banned under Mao's regime, only to become an inspiration to a new generation of Chinese writers in the late twentieth century.

Review:

“Not only for students of modern Chinese literature, but also for historians, political scientists, sociologists, etc. Quite apart from its contribution to our understanding of the momentous changes taking place within the last few years in the Chinese literary scene, the material presented here persuasively documents what my Chinese colleagues have often affirmed to me: literature reveals more about the actual situation in China today than any other form of writing.”―Yi-Tsi Mei Feuerwerker

“This book analyzes the unprecedented diversity and the new literary forms that burst forth in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. The interdisciplinary approach of these studies reveals much about the society, politics, and popular culture of the post-Mao era.”―Merle Goldman

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0674008855
• ISBN 13: 9780674008854
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 375
• Editor: Kinkley Jeffrey C.