The Columbia History of Chinese Literature [Hardcover]

Victor H. Mair (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231109849 | ISBN-13: 978-0231109840 | Publication Date: March 15, 2002 0

The Columbia History of Chinese Literature is a comprehensive yet portable guide to China's vast literary traditions. Stretching from earliest times to the present, the text features original contributions by leading specialists working in all genres and periods. Chapters cover poetry, prose, fiction, and drama, and consider such contextual subjects as popular culture, the impact of religion, the role of women, and China's relationship with non-Sinitic languages and peoples. Opening with a major section on the linguistic and intellectual foundations of Chinese literature, the anthology traces the development of forms and movements over time, along with critical trends, and pays particular attention to the premodern canon.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This ambitious history explores a wide range of Chinese literature, from the classics to humor to folk tales to oral traditions, and moves from ancient times to the end of the 20th century. The 54 chapters also include discussions of Chinese literature by women and minorities and assess its reception in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. A lengthy chapter explains the language and script, emphasizing the diversity and the changes over time. All the discussions deal with the social, political, and philosophical backgrounds that either inhabit or inhibit the literature. Early texts, for example, are usually grounded in Confucian and Taoist thought, while more recent writings deal with, or at least suggest, political ideologies. This being a history and not an anthology, no literature is included, except for an occasional short quotation. And, of course, the many transliterated titles, authors' names, and dates make for difficult reading, even though everything is translated and Chinese characters are omitted. Mair (Chinese language and literature, Univ. of Pennsylvania) has overseen a host of excellent scholars writing on a vast subject. Highly recommended. Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

This ambitious history explores a wide range of Chinese literature, from the classics to humor to folk tales to oral traditions, and moves from ancient times to the end of the twentieth century.... Mair has overseen a host of excellent scholars writing on a vast subject.

(Kitty Chen Library Journal 123.1 2003)

The Columbia History of Chinese Literature is indeed the most comprehensive single-volume introduction to Chinese literature, premodern and modern. It goes without saying that no library can afford not to make this impressive volume available to its readers, and that nobody with a serious interest in Chinese literature can possibly disregard this comprehensive and most inspiring volume.

(Bernhard Fuehrer The China Quarterly )

A monumental contribution to the field of Chinese literary studies.

(Richard B. Mather Journal of the American Oriental Society )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1280 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (March 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231109849
• ISBN-13: 978-0231109840
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 2.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,354,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cornucopia, January 11, 2007

By 

Kevin Maynard (ST ALBANS, Hertfordshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Columbia History of Chinese Literature (Hardcover)

Apart from the Indiana Companion, there is no more wide-ranging or authoritative history of Chinese literature available than this titanic achievement. The survey is comprehensive, the information (as far as I can tell) accurate, and the judgements fair-minded and balanced throughout. Time and time again, I was able to find in the admirably thorough index obscure writers who were not otherwise easily accessible, and many of whom don't feature even in the two volumes of the Indiana Companion itself. Particularly useful features are the appendices which give the Chinese names of (almost) all the names and titles mentioned in the text. No one who's genuinely interested in Chinese literature, either ancient or modern, can afford to be without this exemplary work of scholarship.