Cremation

Lao SheFeb 2017

3.9

Word count: 103K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

Cremation is a novel centered on the armed struggle against the Japanese invasion. It depicts the heroic act of our army, exploiting the enemy-occupied "Wencheng" while it lay undermanned, sending plainclothes squads to raid the city, as well as the varied appearances, mentalities, and fates of the city's diverse inhabitants.

Editor's review

Cremation is a distinctive novel among Lao She's works on the War of Resistance. The narrative pivots on a plainclothes squad's raid on the enemy-occupied Wencheng, yet the author does not linger on battle scenes; instead, taking advantage of the city's undermanned state, he lays bare one by one the appearances, mentalities, and fates of its various inhabitants: some step forward, some temporize and watch, and others seek private gain amid the chaos. With his customary plain narrative craft and barbed humor, Lao She shows how war becomes a mirror revealing true natures, and how ordinary people struggle and choose in troubled times. Its value lies not in legendary plot but in its cool observation of human nature and social conditions at a moment of national peril. It is suitable as a supplement when reading war-resistance literature or the broader corpus of Lao She's works, helping readers see how he handles grand historical themes and his skilled use of dialect and street-corner idiom.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in war-resistance literature who want to understand Lao She's works in this vein
Researchers systematically reading Lao She who wish to complete the long-novel corpus
Readers who enjoy group portraits of urban characters reflecting historical upheaval
Readers concerned with ordinary people's mentalities and moral choices in wartime

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting tight battle scenes and strong action-driven plots
Readers who prefer light humor and avoid heavy historical themes
Beginning readers impatient with group portraits and scattered, multi-point narration

Reading tips

Read the first one or two chapters to clarify Wencheng's geography and character relationships before entering the raid storyline
Note the differences in speech among characters of different classes in Lao She's writing; read alongside his urban fiction
After finishing, revisit the opening account of the city's undermanned state to appreciate the structural echo
Read in comparison with contemporaneous war-resistance works to compare narrative perspectives

版权信息
序
一
二
三
四
五
六
七
八
九
十
十一
十二
十三
十四
十五
十六
十七
十八
十九
二十
二十一
二十二
二十三
二十四
二十五
二十六
二十七
二十八
二十九
三十
三十一
三十二

FAQ

Does this book mainly write about battles or about characters?

Battles are only the narrative trigger. The focus is on the reactions, mentalities, and changing fates of the city's various inhabitants under the event of the plainclothes squad's raid on Wencheng; it is closer to a group portrait of human hearts than to a direct staging of battle scenes.

Can I read this directly without having read other works by Lao She?

Yes. The plot threads are relatively concentrated and do not depend on other works. But reading some of Lao She's urban-themed fiction first will make it easier to adjust to his narrative tone, which mixes narration and commentary with a satirical edge.

Are the characters clearly divided into good and evil?

Not simplistically. Lao She writes the complex faces of various people in troubled times: there are heroic acts, but also onlookers, temporizers, and even those seeking private gain amid chaos; readers must judge the characters' choices and circumstances for themselves.

Comments

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About the author

Lao She Author · China · 1899–1966

Lao She, born Shu Qingchun with the courtesy name Sheyu, lived from 1899 to 1966. A Manchu from Beijing, he is a major modern Chinese writer. His writing long centered on urban life in Beijing and on ordinary people at the lower levels of society. His works are mostly social novels and folk literature, and he also wrote essays and miscellaneous prose. His style is plain yet marked by irony and compassion, and he was skilled at using colloquial Beijing-flavored language to portray characters and their fates. His representative works include Camel Xiangzi, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, which have had wide influence. In 1951 he received the title "People's Artist." The library holds 488 of his works, commonly classified under social fiction, classics, folk literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, and exam books, showing that his writing continues to circulate among readers and in teaching.