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).

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of Chinese literature from 1910s to the present day. Featuring studies of selected masterpieces, it adopts a thematic-comparative approach. By developing an innovative conceptual framework of periodization, it thus situates Chinese literature in the context of world literature, and globalization.

General Introduction: Writing Modern Chinese Literature in English, Ming Dong Gu Part I: Early Modern Literature (c.1910s-1942) Introduction: National Salvation through Human Enlightenment Section I: Realism and the Anatomy of Chineseness 1. Lu Xun's Writings: Modernizing Chinese Consciousess, Ming Dong Gu 2. Mao Dun and His Masterpieces, Ted Heters 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 Ng 6. 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: Zhu Ziqing, Wen Yiduo, Xu Zimo, Frederik 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. New Sensationalists: Liu Nai'ou, Mu Shiying, Shi Zhecun, Christopher Rosenmeir Section IV: Old and New Chinese on the Stage and Screen 13. Early Modern Drama: Hong Shen, Ouyang Yuqie, Xia Yan, Xiaowen Xu 14. Cao Yu's Plays and 'Thunderstorm', Liangyan Ge15. Masterpieces of Early Cinema, Corrado Neri Part II: Middle Modern Literature (late 1930s-1977) Introduction: War, Revolution, and the Individual Section V: Patriotism and Poetry 16. Poetry of Zang Kejia and Tian Jian: A Clarion for National Salvation, Bingfeng Yang 17. Ai Qing's Poetry and 'Dayan River, My Nurse', Victor Vuilleumier 18. Feng Zhi, Mo Dan and 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 Baicheng 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 Lin's Feminist Fiction: New Women in Crisis of Subjectivity, Geraldine Fiss 26. Eileen Chang's Fiction: A Study of Alienated Human Nature, Ming Dong Gu 27. Independent Writers' Fiction: Shen Congwen, Xu Dishan, Qian Zhongshu, Philip Williams Section IX: Literature of Socialist Realism 28. Fiction of New China (1949-1966), Lijun Bi and Xiangshu Fang 29 Poetry of New China (1949-1966), Xiangshu Fang and Lijun Bi 30. Dramas of New China (1949-1966), Weijie Song 31. Literature of the Cultural Revolution, Lena Henningsen Part III: Late Modern Literature (late 1970s-early1990s) Introduction: Human Revival and Literary Renaissance Section X: Literature of Trauma, Memory, Reflection 32. Fiction of Trauma and Reflections, Meng Li and King-fai Tam 33. Fiction 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, Ge Fei, 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: New Realism: 38. Fiction of Wang Meng and Ah Lai: New Approaches to Historical Fiction, Mei-Hsuan Chiang 39. Yu Hua's and Su Tong's Fiction, Ann Wedell-Wedellsbprg 40. Jia Pingwa's and Chen Zhongshi: Two Masters of Rural Literature, Yiju Huang 41. Female Neo-Realism: Masterworks of Zhang Jie, Wang Anyi, and Chi Li, H. Faye Xiao Section XIII: Postmodern Realism: 42. Mo Yan's Fiction: Human Existence beyond Good and Evil, Tonglu Li 43. Gao Xingjian and 'The Soul Mountain', Christopher Lupke 44. Ge Fei and His 'South of Yangtse Trilogy, Andrea Riemenschnitter 45. Bi Feiyu's Fiction: Portraits of the Disadvantaged, Peng Xiuying 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-yi Lin 48.Masterpieces of Taiwan Poetry: Ji Xian and Yu Guangzhong, Pei-yi Lin 49. Hong Kong Literature: An Overview, Paul Foster 50. Online and New Media Literature, Guozhong Duan Conclusion: A Review of Contemporary Chinese Literature, Chen Xiaoming