A History of Vernacular Literature
Hu ShiShanghai Classics Publishing House · ChinaDec 2019
Rating 4.3- Word count
- 166K words
- Chapters
- 23
- ISBN
- 9787532589036
Tags
History Books Intellectual EnlightenmentSocial CritiqueAcademic MonographPopular NarrativeCultural ChangeModern ChinaSummary
A History of Vernacular Literature is Hu Shi's account of the history of vernacular literature, and it holds an equally groundbreaking, landmark position in the history of Chinese literature.Editor's review
A History of Vernacular Literature is a groundbreaking work published by Mr. Hu Shi in 1928, and its value extends far beyond a mere literary history. The book's core significance lies in the fact that, for the first time, it systematically shifted the center of gravity of Chinese literary history away from the traditional "aristocratic literature" centered on scholar-officials and classical Chinese, and toward the long-neglected "common people's literature" represented by vernacular language and folk creation. Hu Shi took "vernacular literature" as the orthodox and main line of Chinese literary development. This thesis was astonishing at the time, and it not only reshaped the Chinese people's understanding of literary history but also directly promoted the New Culture Movement and the spread of modern vernacular Chinese.In terms of content, the book begins with the pre-Qin period and extends to the Southern Song. With his deep textual scholarship and keen literary judgment, Hu Shi retrieved from vast numbers of ancient texts a wealth of vivid historical materials of vernacular literature—folk songs, yuefu, Buddhist scripture translations, Tang and Song recorded sayings, and huaben fiction—and demonstrated how they influenced literati writing and evolved together with it. Reading this book, readers can not only learn about a literary-historical lineage that has been "rediscovered" but also deeply appreciate the "historical perspective" and "scientific method" that Hu Shi advocated.
This edition from Shanghai Classics Publishing House is in simplified Chinese and horizontal typesetting, which better suits modern reading habits. For readers who wish to understand the internal dynamics of Chinese literary evolution, explore the intellectual roots of the New Culture Movement, and learn how to examine traditional classics from a new perspective, this book remains an indispensable classic. It is not an all-encompassing general history of literature, but a "history of ideas" and a demonstration of "methodology" full of insight and passion.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- College students and researchers interested in Chinese literary history, especially folk literature and linguistic change
- Readers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the background of the New Culture Movement and Hu Shi's academic thought
- Readers who enjoy reinterpreting classic culture from nontraditional, subversive perspectives
- Teachers and cultural communicators who need to broaden their framework for understanding literary history
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking a standardized literary history textbook that introduces all writers and works comprehensively in dynastic order
- Beginner readers who find classical Chinese source texts and traditional scholarly textual criticism difficult to read
Reading tips
- It is recommended to first read the book's "Introduction" and "Part One" to understand Hu Shi's core methodology and the overall framework of his "view of vernacular literary history."
- While reading, compare it with mainstream literary history textbooks, consider the originality and controversial nature of Hu Shi's views, and form your own judgment.
- Focus on the book's analyses of specific works (such as yuefu poetry and Chan Buddhist recorded sayings) to appreciate how Hu Shi interpreted literary value starting from linguistic form.
About the publisher
Shanghai Classics Publishing House China · Founded in 1956Shanghai Classics Publishing House is a professional publisher centered on the collation of ancient texts and academic research works. Its publishing areas cover historical readings, classical poetry, folk literature, literary appreciation, canonical works, and Eastern philosophy. Its books include Chen Yinke's A Brief Discussion of the Origins of the Sui and Tang Institutions, Xin Qiji's Chronological Annotated Edition of Jiaxuan's Ci (Simplified Edition), Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion, Liu Xie's The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, as well as New Annotations to Three Hundred Tang Poems (Collector's Edition), Annotated Edition of Han Changli's Collected Works (Simplified Edition, 3 volumes), and Youyang Zazu. Its authors include Chen Yinke, Xin Qiji, Tang Xianzu, Liu Xie, Deng Guangming, Hengtang Tuishi, Han Yu, and Ma Qichang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the house emphasizes collation, annotation, and compilation of ancient texts alongside academic research works, and continues to issue simplified and collector's editions that balance scholarship and accessibility. Public information about the publisher's fuller publishing profile is limited.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 出版说明
- 关于胡适的《白话文学史》
- 自序
- 引子
- 第一编 唐以前
- 第一章 古文是何时死的？
- 第二章 白话文学的背景
- 第三章 汉朝的民歌
- 第四章 汉朝的散文
- 第五章 汉末魏晋的文学
- 第六章 故事诗的起来
- 第七章 南北新民族的文学
- 第八章 唐以前三百年中的文学趋势
- 第九章 佛教的翻译文学（上）
- 第十章 佛教的翻译文学（下）
- 第二编 唐朝（上）
- 第十一章 唐初的白话诗
- 第十二章 八世纪的乐府新词
- 第十三章 歌唱自然的诗人
- 第十四章 杜 甫
- 第十五章 大历长庆间的诗人
- 第十六章 元稹白居易
FAQ
What is this book's Douban rating?
According to searches, Hu Shi's A History of Vernacular Literature has multiple editions on the Douban platform, and its classic status is widely recognized. Mainstream editions generally score above 8.5 and are regarded as foundational works in the field of literary history. Reader reviews mostly praise its groundbreaking views and intellectual inspiration.Does this book cover only up to the Southern Song? Are there sequels?
Yes. The book was originally planned in three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—but only the upper volume (from the pre-Qin period to the Southern Song) was completed. Mr. Hu Shi did not finish the later parts, so the book lacks literary narrative for the Yuan dynasty and later. However, the completed portion is sufficient to construct his core theoretical system in a fairly complete way.For modern readers, are this book's academic views outdated?
The book's specific academic views have indeed been developed and revised by later scholarship, but its core value—namely, its emphasis on folk literature and vernacular language and its method of viewing literature from the perspective of historical evolution—has become common knowledge and a cornerstone of modern literary research. Reading it is more about understanding how a paradigm was established; its intellectual impact remains fresh.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Hu Shi Author · China · 1891–1962Hu Shi (1891–1962), courtesy name Shizhi, was a native of Jixi, Anhui, and a modern Chinese scholar and thinker. A leading figure of the New Culture Movement, he is known for advocating the use of vernacular Chinese. He served as a professor and later president of Peking University, and subsequently as president of the Academia Sinica. The library holds 213 of his works, spanning social culture, Eastern philosophy, essays and miscellaneous writings, and biography. His representative works include Tolerance and Freedom, An Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy, A History of Vernacular Literature, and The Diaries of Hu Shi Abroad. His writing combines scholarly argument with personal essays, showing both intellectual sharpness and a plain, fluent style; he exercised a profound influence on modern Chinese thought and cultural development.