Family

Name: Family
ISBN: 9787560198521

Ba JinJilin University Press · ChinaOct 2024

4.3

Word count: 249K words
Chapters: 49
ISBN: 9787560198521

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Summary

Family is the first volume of The Torrent Trilogy, a representative work by the literary master Ba Jin, and an outstanding realist novel in the history of modern Chinese literature. Set in the stagnant inland city of Chengdu, Sichuan, at a time when the May Fourth Movement was sweeping the country, the novel truthfully depicts the decline and disintegration of the Gao family, a feudal household that prized itself on being "a family of poetry and propriety" and prided itself on "four generations under one roof." It exposes the corrupt essence of feudal autocracy, indicts the crimes of the feudal clan system, feudal ethics, and feudal superstition, and celebrates the spirit of resistance and struggle of the younger generation.

Editor's review

Family is the opening work of Ba Jin's Torrent Trilogy and a landmark in the history of modern Chinese literature. Written in 1931, the novel is set in Chengdu, Sichuan, after the May Fourth Movement, and through the joys and sorrows of the Gao family, a large feudal household, it profoundly exposes the cruelty and hypocrisy of the feudal patriarchal system while celebrating the awakening and resistance of the younger generation. With passionate prose, Ba Jin creates a host of vivid characters, including the three brothers Juexin, Juemin, and Juehui, as well as Mei, Mingfeng, and Ruijue. Their intertwined fates together form a song of sorrow and hope for an era.

As an editor, I believe the value of reading Family endures. It is not merely a social novel reflecting a particular historical period; it is also a human fable about youth, freedom, love, and sacrifice. Ba Jin's writing is plain yet fervent, filled with sincere emotion and deep moral concern. His indictment of the family system's suppression of human nature and his cry for the individual's right to pursue happiness still resonate powerfully today. Juexin's cowardice and compromise and Juehui's rebelliousness and departure form a classic contrast of brothers in Chinese literary history, prompting readers to reflect on the individual's choices between tradition and change.

From the perspective of literary history, Family marks the maturity of the Chinese family saga novel and has had a far-reaching influence. Reading this book is not only an appreciation of a literary classic but also a key to understanding the dramatic intellectual changes in early twentieth-century Chinese society. Ba Jin said of his writing that he felt as if he were suffering alongside his characters, struggling with them beneath the same claw; this state of shared breath and shared fate between author and characters gives the work a stirring artistic power.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in classics of modern Chinese literature
Readers of history and literature hoping to understand the intellectual shifts after the May Fourth Movement
Readers who enjoy family sagas interwoven with the fates of characters
Young readers looking for works about resisting oppression and pursuing individual liberation

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment and fast-paced narrative
Readers impatient with detailed depictions of old-style family life

Reading tips

Read in light of Ba Jin's life, especially his youthful experiences, to understand the passion and rebellious spirit in the work
As you read, pay attention to the different temperaments and choices of the three Gao brothers and consider the historical and personal factors behind them
Read Family together with Spring and Autumn to experience the grand narrative of the Torrent Trilogy as a whole

About the publisher

Jilin University Press China · Founded in 1983

Jilin University Press is a comprehensive university press based in Jilin Province, China. Its publishing covers university textbooks, academic monographs and general-interest titles, with common categories including inspirational growth, foreign literature, mystery and detective fiction, history and classic works. The database contains 171 titles, including representative books such as Don Quixote, Jane Eyre, Selected Works of Chekhov, The Moon and Sixpence, The Lady of the Camellias, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Family Instructions of Master Yan and The Sorrows of Young Werther, spanning foreign literary classics and traditional Chinese texts. Its author resources include Chinese and foreign figures such as W. Somerset Maugham, Yan Zhitui, Lü Siming and Ba Jin, as well as editors and authors such as Study Group and Zhang Ying. The press has developed a certain character in introducing foreign literary classics and compiling traditional readings, balancing adolescent reading with academic popularization. As public information is limited, the above focuses on the publishing directions reflected in its database titles.

版权信息
再版前言
文学生活五十年（代序）
《激流》总序
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后记
附录一呈献给一个人（初版代序）
附录二关于《家》（十版代序） ——给我的一个表哥
附录三和读者谈《家》
一九七七年再版后记

FAQ

Is the story in Family based on Ba Jin's own experiences?

Family is strongly autobiographical. Ba Jin was born into a feudal bureaucratic landlord family in Chengdu, Sichuan, and many of the characters and events in the Gao family derive from what he saw in his own family. The tragedy of his eldest brother, Li Yaomei, was especially influential in shaping the character of Juexin, though the work was artistically reshaped and typified.

Why is Family considered the first book of the Torrent Trilogy?

Family, Spring, and Autumn are three plot-connected novels known collectively as the Torrent Trilogy. Centered on the Gao family, they depict the gradual collapse of a large feudal clan amid the tides of the times. Family is the beginning, focusing on the awakening and resistance of Juehui's generation; Spring and Autumn continue the story and further portray the fate of the family's disintegration.

What is the main conflict in this book?

The core conflict is that between old and new ideas, manifested concretely as the intense confrontation between the suppression of the younger generation's happiness and ideals by feudal ethics and the family system, and the younger generation's pursuit of freedom, love, and personal independence. It also contains multiple conflicts, including those between rulers and the ruled and between male-centered ideology and the tragic fate of women.

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About the author

Ba Jin Author · Chinese · 1904–2005

Ba Jin (1904–2005), originally named Li Yaotang with the courtesy name Feigan, was a native of Chengdu, Sichuan, and a modern Chinese writer, translator and publisher. He is known mainly for his fiction and essays, including the "Torrent" trilogy Family, Spring and Autumn, as well as Cold Night and Random Thoughts. His works often focus on family ethics, the fate of youth and social change, written in a sincere, plain style with strong emotion. He also translated foreign literary works such as The Happy Prince, served as chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, and was named "People's Writer" in 2003. The library holds 10 of his works, spanning classics, essays and literary appreciation, showing the lasting influence of his writing and translations.