A Survey Of Chinese Novel Studies Of Modern Times

The thesis is mainly a survey of the studies from 1840 to 2005 on the process and development of Chinese novel studies during the period of 1840 and 1911, with the purpose to offer some basic jobs for further studies on "Studies on Modern Chinese Novels" in the new age . There are altogether four chapters as follows.Chapter One focuses on the studies of modern Chinese novels before 1920s. This is the preparation stage and there appeared about 800 critical articles whose main styles were prefaces and critiques. Though the studies of this period were not done so consciously and intently, we could never neglect or underestimate their academic value and significance chiefly in two aspects: one is that most of the prefaces and critiques were written almost simultaneously with the production of literature works, containing a great deal of valuable material such as the process of the works, the biographical introductions of the authors and the intentions of writings, etc. which actually forms the foundation for the studies; the other is that the newly adopted concepts, ideas and terms marked the very beginning of a new model of scientific studies in this field, directing the development for the novel studies of 1920s. What's more, many of the scholars during 1920s and 1940s were so deeply influenced by those prefaces and critiques that such influences could also been seen in their academic views.Chapter Two emphasizes on the studies of modern Chinese novels during 1920s and 1940s which is a foundation stage for the course study. There were about 700 academic essays or works within the period, and what is important is that some great writers, such as Lu Xun, Hu Shi and A Ying, under the guidance of modern critical views on modern Chinese novels, completed a number of academic essays and works, by different means of scientific surveys and research. Those works and essays were done on the base of thorough comparative studies with other contemporary works with a broad perspective, thus accepted and welcomed by both the scholars then and those in later years. The first works about a dynastic history of modem Chinese novels was produced during the period, named The History of Novel Studies of Later Qing Dynasty written by A Ying. From then on, the studies of modern novels had reached a stage of scientific and sound development.