On Zhou Zuoren

Name: On Zhou Zuoren
ISBN: 9787108047496

Qian LiqunSDX Joint Publishing Company · ChinaJun 2025

4.3

Word count: 242K words
Chapters: 32
ISBN: 9787108047496

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Summary

On Zhou Zuoren is Qian Liqun's second scholarly monograph — a relatively comprehensive assessment of Zhou Zuoren in his many dimensions. Qian begins by placing Zhou Zuoren within the field of vision of Lu Xun, discussing 'Zhou Zuoren's path and its significance,' tracing his intellectual trajectory in full and revealing how he 'walked toward the abyss.' He then examines Zhou Zuoren's academic and cultural endeavors, offering classified commentary on his wide-ranging miscellanies and his creations in new literature. Finally, Qian compares 'Zhou Zuoren and his contemporaries,' assessing the individual against the broader backdrop, a comparison that carries both considerable generality and collective weight.

Editor's review

Qian Liqun's "On Zhou Zuoren" is a weighty and far-reaching work of scholarship. As one of the foundational studies of Zhou Zuoren in China, it long ago transcended the genre of a mere author study to become an indispensable text for understanding the spiritual and intellectual history of modern Chinese intellectuals. First published in 1991, this new SDX Joint Publishing edition is not only a tribute to a classic but also an opportunity to reactivate a dialogue of ideas in today's context. With deep erudition, keen insight, and a warm "sympathetic understanding," Qian penetrates the complex entanglements of Zhou Zuoren's identities—"rebel and hermit," "gentleman ghost and rogue ghost"—placing his thought and literary practice within the turbulent historical currents of twentieth-century China for profound analysis. The book's layered interpretation of Zhou's concept of "human literature," his doctrine of the mean, his cultural mentality, and ultimately his tragic choices is both a deep exploration of a complex individual and a profound reflection on the spiritual predicaments and paths taken by an entire generation of intellectuals. Reading this book, we come to know Zhou Zuoren, but more than that, we hold up a mirror to ourselves, pondering how intellectuals should conduct their lives and how culture should undergo its modern transformation. The rigor of its argument, the sincerity of its feeling, and the intensity of its problem-consciousness remain powerful and illuminating today.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Deep readers with a strong interest in the history of modern Chinese literature and thought
Thinkers who wish to move beyond simplistic binaries and understand the complexity and predicaments of intellectuals
Scholars and students engaged in modern and contemporary literature, history, or philosophy
Readers who appreciate Qian Liqun's profound humanistic concern and incisive critical style

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking only light entertainment or story-driven reading
Readers entirely unfamiliar with Zhou Zuoren's life and the background of modern intellectual history who have no wish to learn

Reading tips

Readers are advised to gain a general understanding of Zhou Zuoren's life, major works, and the context of the May Fourth New Culture Movement beforehand for a better reading experience.
The book can be read alongside other works by Qian Liqun (such as "Thirty Years of Modern Chinese Literature") or Zhou Zuoren's original works for an intertextual understanding.
There is no need to rush; key chapters (such as those on the "doctrine of the mean" and "rebel and hermit") can be chewed over repeatedly, reflecting on their contemporary relevance.

About the publisher

SDX Joint Publishing Company China · Founded in 1932

SDX Joint Publishing Company is a publisher known for its humanities and social science titles, covering classics, culture, history, social fiction and politics. Its catalogue of 826 books includes Chinese and foreign literary classics such as The Scholars, Camel Xiangzi and Selected Short Stories of Chekhov, scholarly works such as Studies of Chinese Cave Temples, A Study of the Tuoba History (Revised Edition) and The Nine-Rank System: A Prehistory of the Imperial Examination, and translations such as Red Star Over China and Notes from the House of the Dead. Its authors include renowned Chinese and foreign writers such as Wu Jingzi, Lao She, Su Bai and Chekhov, as well as scholars and translators such as Chen Xiaoming, Wang Benhua, Guo Changbao and Zhu Xiansheng. Its publishing character lies in balancing the popularisation of classics with academic depth, with attention to textual quality and the transmission of knowledge.

版权信息
总序：大时代里的个体生命史
第一编 “周作人道路”及其意义
一、20世纪中国大变革中的历史抉择 ——周作人、鲁迅思想发展道路的比较
二、探索中国现代文学发展的道路 ——周作人、鲁迅文学观的比较
三、动荡时代人生路的追寻与困惑 ——周作人、鲁迅人生哲学的比较
四、两大文化撞击中的选择与归宿 ——周作人与东、西方文化关系的考察
五、走向深渊之路 ——周作人后期思想研究
第二编开拓者的足迹
六、周作人及其同代人的知识结构
七、性心理研究与自然人性的追求
八、儿童学、童话学、神话学研究与传统文化的反思
九、民俗学研究与国民性的考察
十、周作人的散文艺术
十一、周作人的文艺批评
十二、周作人的翻译理论与实践
十三、周作人与五四文学语言的变革
十四、周作人对现代小说、散文理论的历史贡献
十五、周作人与五四诗歌艺术思维的变迁
第三编周作人与同时代人
十六、周作人与章太炎 ——“谢本师”及其他
十七、周作人与蔡元培 ——“兼容并包主义”及其他
十八、周作人与李大钊 ——空想社会主义思潮及其他
十九、周作人与陈独秀 ——“宗教问题”论争及其他
二十、周作人与胡适 ——两位自由主义学者之间
二十一、周作人与钱玄同、刘半农 ——“复古”、“欧化”及其他
二十二、周作人与文研会、创造社同人 ——“自然主义”、“浪漫派”及其他
二十三、周作人与现代评论派、新月派诸君子 ——“绅士”、“流氓”及其他
二十四、周作人与湖畔诗人 ——良师益友及其他
二十五、周作人与俞平伯、废名 ——师生之间
附录：当代部分青年眼里的周作人
后记

FAQ

How does this book differ from an ordinary biography or critical biography?

This is not a linear biographical narrative but a problem-oriented intellectual-critical biography. Qian Liqun's central concern is to analyze the inner logic and contradictions of Zhou Zuoren's thought and its relationship with his times, emphasizing "critique" over "narration"; it is highly scholarly and intellectually substantive.

Can I understand this book without a professional academic background?

Qian Liqun's style is accessible, blending reason and feeling; though a scholarly work, it does not pile up obscure terminology. With some basic knowledge of modern literature and a little patience, ordinary readers can enter into it and benefit—the intellectual challenge it poses is itself part of its value.

How does the book view Zhou Zuoren's later historical problems?

Qian's book does not evade this great tragedy and contradiction but places it within the overall trajectory of Zhou Zuoren's thought and the pressures of his times for calm, profound analysis, seeking to understand the inner logic and external pressures of his choices. It goes beyond simple moral condemnation and reflects the complexity required of historical research.

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About the author

Qian Liqun Author · China · 1939

Qian Liqun was born in Chongqing in 1939, with ancestral roots in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He is a senior professor and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. His research focuses on the history of modern Chinese literature, studies of Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren, and the intellectual history of modern Chinese intellectuals. His representative works include In Search of the Soul, A Biography of Zhou Zuoren, On Zhou Zuoren, Thirty Years of Modern Chinese Literature, 1948: Heaven and Earth in Dark Mystery, and The Richness of Suffering: The Eastward Migration of Don Quixote and Hamlet, as well as My Spiritual Autobiography. His Fifteen Lectures on Lu Xun's Works, which interprets Lu Xun in an accessible lecture format, has had a wide influence. His writing spans academic research and essays, with attention to literary appreciation and intellectual inquiry, in a rigorous style informed by a concern for reality.