Fictional Authors, Imaginary Audiences: Modern Chinese Literature in the Twentieth Century

Review
"One of the author's greatest strengths is her ability to understand China and Chinese writers in their own historical, lived contexts, and to explain how this has influenced the ways they conceive of literature... Highly recommended." -- Choice

Review
"One of the most erudite scholars in the field takes on nearly all the crucial issues of twentieth-century Chinese literature in a panoramic and penetrating manner. This book is destined to become an indispensable reference for many years to come." -- William Tay, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego

Book Description
This book examines poetry, drama, film, and the visual arts, revealing their political and social context. Surveying the major trends in fiction at the end of the century, it demonstrates how some writers reinvented themselves as hooligans or pop stars while others reaffirmed their old alliance with the remnants of the cultural establishment.

About the Author
Bonnie S. McDougall is a professor of Chinese at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of The Literature of China in the Twentieth Century (Columbia, 1998)


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The authors and audiences for twentieth century Chinese literature, especially fiction, are examined in this book. While modern Chinese fictions are imaginary in that they do not constitute reliable portraits of Chinese life, they can reveal fascinating insights into the writers themselves and their implied audiences. The book also includes substantial reference to poetry, drama, film, and the visual arts as well as to the political and social context in which they appear.


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