Society Volume

Reader's ClubJilin University Press · ChinaSep 2014

2.8

Word count: 93K words
Chapters: 31

Summary

Third Wife, who lived in the back courtyard of our house, bought a pair of white rabbits during the summer for her children to look at. The pair did not seem to have been long separated from their mother; though they were of another species, one could see their innocence and liveliness. Yet they pricked up their small, long, bright red ears, twitched their noses, and their eyes showed some alarm, perhaps because they felt the place and people were strange, lacking the ease they had known in their old home. Such creatures, if bought by oneself at the temple fair, would cost no more than two diao apiece, but Third Wife paid one yuan, because they had been bought by a young servant sent to the shop.

Editor's review

Social Volume takes "society" as its observational entry point. Rather than rushing to conclusions, the selected pieces dwell on everyday details—a back courtyard, the price of goods at a temple fair, a servant's comings and goings with the mistress. The opening piece describes the third mistress buying a pair of white rabbits for the children: the rabbits' initial alarm, the children's fresh curiosity as they gather round, and the price gap between one yuan and two strings of cash are woven into a narrative that seems plain but is dense with information—the order within the household, the unevenness of urban and rural consumption, and the relation between people and animals all emerge without fanfare. Such writing rewards slow reading; its power lies not in strong plot excitement but in the precision of detail—the long ears, red eyes, and twitching nose of the white rabbits are at once children's playthings and a coordinate for observing human manners and social life. As a reader themed on society, it trains readers to discern structural problems in small incidents of daily life and offers a model of "seeing the large in the small" for writers. When reading, first reconstruct the scene, then ask where the narrator stands and why they see things this way—the gain will be more solid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy modern prose, short pieces, and observations of social manners
Students who want to learn the "seeing the large in the small" approach from everyday details
Readers interested in family order, consumption gaps, and human-animal relations
Middle school readers seeking extracurricular Chinese-language enrichment and close-reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only strong-plot, fast-paced novels
Readers expecting systematic sociological theory or data analysis
Readers unaccustomed to the feel of Republican-era vernacular Chinese and needing annotations

Reading tips

Read through once, marking details such as the rabbits' expressions, the prices, and the characters' actions.
On the second pass, ask: why does the narrator notice the difference between "one yuan" and "two strings of cash"?
Compare this piece with others in the book and summarize the different ways the "society" theme is handled.
After reading, write a hundred-word mini-review to practice drawing a point from details.

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
兔和猫
头发的故事
花狗
上海的狐步舞
街景
军事
我们的犯罪
岔路
械斗
丰收
雅普雅普岛的金喇叭
奥斯加要知道
小布托拉
我们选择的道路
白手起家者
谋杀房东
知事下乡
玩笑
真的故事
一位发疯的州官
默哀
举世无双的珍品
诱饵
一个官员的死
买乐谱
欲壑
旅游纪念品
召募军队
生活点滴
难以避免的灾难

FAQ

Is Social Volume a theory book or an anthology?

From the available information, it is closer to a reader themed on "society," containing pieces for reading and appreciation rather than a systematic sociology textbook. The opening text is mainly narrative and character writing, suited to close reading as literature; do not expect statistics or a theoretical framework.

What is worth noticing in the opening passage about the white rabbits?

On the surface it is a domestic scene of children looking at rabbits, but inside it lie information about prices, masters and servants, and family positions. The rabbits' initial alarm is set alongside the way the third mistress buys them, giving the everyday narrative a layer of social observation—good practice for reading meaning out of details.

What should middle school students keep in mind when reading this book?

First clarify vocabulary and historical background, then pay attention to narrative perspective and the choice of details. Do not merely summarize that "it writes about white rabbits"; explain how the author writes and why in that way. If the language feels unfamiliar, slow down, retell paragraph by paragraph, then summarize.

Do I need to read it in order from beginning to end?

Not necessarily. Since it is an anthology, you can skip around by theme or interest; but it is advisable to closely read at least the opening piece, grasp the method of close reading, and then transfer it to other pieces. Leaving a few minutes for annotations after each piece is more effective than chasing reading quantity.

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About the author

Reader's Club Author

Reader's Club is an editorial team in the field of book publishing rather than an individual author, and public information about its nationality, birth and death years is limited. The team mainly engages in the selection and compilation of literary anthologies, with 124 works held in the catalog, covering categories such as classic works, prose and miscellaneous writings, and inspirational growth. Representative works include Fate Volume, Love Sayings, Voices of Growth, Young Thoughts, Reflections on Life, Youth Volume, The True Meaning of Emotion, and Emotion Volume. Its selections focus chiefly on prose and fiction by renowned Chinese and foreign authors as well as emotional stories of notable figures, and are mostly published by Jilin University Press and Jilin Audio-Visual Publishing House. Overall, Reader's Club's editorial direction leans toward emotional reading and inspirational growth titles for general readers, offering an accessible path into Chinese and foreign literature and emotional narratives through selection and compilation.