Life and Death
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Summary
Editor's review
The essays include ingenious readings of life-and-death narratives in classical texts, such as a literary analysis of death scenes in Dream of the Red Chamber, as well as keen observations of contemporary views on life and death, such as reflections on medical ethics and changing funeral culture. Chen's prose is composed and restrained, preserving scholarly rigor while conveying a literary warmth and compassion. He excels at distilling universally meaningful philosophical reflection from concrete historical details and individual life experience, so that readers gain both intellectual illumination and emotional resonance.
Especially noteworthy is that the author never confines the topic to abstract discussion but always situates it within specific social and cultural contexts, showing how conceptions of life and death shape and are shaped by the spirit of the age, institutional arrangements, and everyday life. This historicized approach lifts the book beyond mere personal reflection into a cultural record of intellectual-historical significance. For contemporary readers, rethinking life and death amid rapid social change is not only a search for life's meaning but also a profound reflection on their own cultural situation.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who continually reflect on the philosophy of life and the theme of death
- Literature lovers who appreciate the balance of reason and sensibility in scholarly essays
- Researchers concerned with modern Chinese intellectual history and cultural change
- Intellectuals seeking a deep reading experience amid a busy life
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking a systematic theoretical framework or practical guide to life-and-death studies
- Readers who prefer light entertainment and avoid heavy subjects
Reading tips
- Read it as a collection of essays; linear continuity is unnecessary—feel free to dip into different pieces at random
- Reflect in light of your own life experience as you read, but do not demand immediate answers
- Slow down for chapters involving literary and historical analysis to savor the author's close reading
About the publisher
Beijing Times Chinese Press takes classic works and prose miscellanies as an important publishing direction, along with foreign literature, social novels, Eastern philosophy and art books. Its catalogue includes such Chinese classics as Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering, Xiao Hong's The Field of Life and Death, Zhang Dai's Reminiscences of Tao'an, Yuan Mei's Recipes from the Sui Garden and Hong Yingming's Caigentan, as well as foreign classics such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Rashomon. Among its translator resources is Wen Jieruo, whose translations provide reliable support for bringing foreign literary works into the Chinese-speaking world. While organizing traditional texts and reissuing classics, the press pays attention to readability and accessibility of editions, enabling ancient prose, notes and philosophical works to reach contemporary readers. Public information is limited; the above is only a brief account of the publishing directions reflected in the books held in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 再记
- 序
- 附记
- 导读
- “无限之生”的界线
- 别话
- 死之默想
- 唁辞
- 笠翁与兼好法师
- 人死观
- 独语
- 门与叩者
- 生死
- 死
- 忘形
- 关于死——抄抄摘摘之一
- 三过鬼门关——改正之后（之五）
- 我对于丧礼的改革
- 回丧与买水
- 墓碣文
- 死后
- 冥屋
- 不甘寂寞
- 祭文·悼词
- 送殡的归途
- 盂兰夜
- 山村的墓碣
- 送葬的行列
- 身后事该怎么办？
- 杨彭年手制的花盆
- 大祭
- 看坟人
- 一份精美别致的讣告
- 国民之自杀
- 绝命辞（1905年12月7日）
- 陈星台先生《绝命书》跋
- 自杀
- 林德扬君为什么要自杀呢？
- 对于梁巨川先生自杀之感想
- 青年厌世自杀问题
- 论自杀
- 死法
- 关于活埋
- 说死以及自杀情死之类
- 论秦理斋夫人事
- 论“人言可畏”
- 略论暗暗的死——写于深夜里（二）
- 处决
- 阮玲玉与食尸兽
- 怀《柚子》
- 死之余响
- 秋
- 中年
- 中年人
- 秋天的况味
- 冬天来了
- 中年
- 当我老了的时候
- 人生之最后
- 老——棕榈轩詹言之十六
- 中年
- 病
- 孟婆茶——（胡思乱想代序）
- 霞
- 编辑附记
- 著者简介
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About the author
Chen Pingyuan, born in 1954 in Chaozhou, Guangdong, is a Boya Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, a Distinguished Professor under the Ministry of Education's "Changjiang Scholars" program, and a member of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History. He previously served as chair of the department. His research focuses on twentieth-century Chinese literature, the history of Chinese fiction, intellectual history, and the history of education. His writings are known for their clear problem awareness, solid use of sources, and lucid argumentation, and he excels at examining literary phenomena and intellectual issues within their historical contexts. His representative works include The Transformation of Narrative Modes in Chinese Fiction, The Starting Point of Modern Chinese Fiction: A Study of Late Qing and Early Republican Fiction, The Dream of the Scholar-Martial Artist (revised edition), and The Unfinished May Fourth: Historical Scene and Intellectual Dialogue. He is also the author of A Brief History of Chinese Fiction and A Brief History of Chinese Prose, and has annotated A Brief History of Chinese Fiction and compiled Materials on Fiction Theory in the Late Qing and Early Republican Periods, exerting wide influence in the fields of fiction history and May Fourth studies.
