Children's Literature in China: From Lu Xun to Mao Zedong: From Lu Xun to Mao Zedong (Studies on Modern China)

This book introduces the major works and debates in Chinese children's literature within the framework of China's revolution and modernization. It demonstrates that the guiding rationale in children's literature was the political importance of children as the nation's future. The Historical Background -- Traditional Children's Books -- Western Impact On Chinese Children's Literature -- May Fourth Children's Literature -- Lu Xun And The World Of Children -- Lu Xun And Translations Of Western Children's Literature -- Lu Xun's Early Translations In The Qing Dynasty -- Lu Xun And Children's Literature In The Early May Fourth Period -- Lu Xun And Children's Literature In The Later May Fourth Period -- A New Children's Literature -- Ye Shengtao's Fairytales -- Bing Xin's Letters To Young Readers -- Children's Literature In The Inter-war Period 1921 To 1937 -- Revolutionary Children's Literature -- Revolutionary Children's Literature In The Prewar Period -- Revolutionary Children's Literature In The War Period -- Comic Books And Popularization -- Chinese Comics Between 1908 And Liberation In 1949 -- Chinese Comics From 1949 To 1965 -- Comic Books In The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 1966 To 1976 -- Children's Literature In The People's Republic Of China -- Children's Literature From 1949 To May 1957 -- Children's Literature From 1957 To 1965 -- Children's Literature From 1966 To 1976 -- The Post-mao Canon -- The Canon: Its Historical Development -- Canon Formation: The Politics Of Education -- The Canon: Privileged Literary Forms And Genres. By Mary Farquhar. An East Gate Book. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduces major works and debates in children's literature within the framework of China's revolution and modernization. Discusses literature born out the May Fourth period cultural renaissance in the early 20th century, and looks at the work of Lu Xun and his brother Zhou Zhuren, founding fathers of this new literature which swept major urban centers in the 1920s and 1930s. Shows how this literature began as an anti-Confucian attack on tradition, using social Darwinism as the framework for national survival and its application to education, then chronciles how Darwinism gave way to Marxism in the post-war period. Farquhar teaches China studies and Asian law at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR