How to Read Chinese Prose

The unusual depth and breadth of this collection is a major boon, as is the new and very useful organization of Chinese prose genres into the four forms of narrative, descriptive, discursive and communicative. This impressive work will be essential for Chinese literature professors and graduate students. -- Carrie (Reed) Wiebe, Middlebury College An innovative and wide-ranging selection of prose works, translated and interpreted by experts. The texts will give readers a solid foundation and serve as a springboard for future exploration. The division into four generic categories-narrative, discursive, descriptive, and communicative-is a brilliant editorial decision. -- Keith McMahon, author of <i>Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China, Song to Qing</i> This book is a treasure! Not only students of classical Chinese but also established scholars will gain new insights into the evolution of Chinese prose styles by letting leading experts guide them through key texts in the tradition. -- Patricia Ebrey, author of <i>Emperor Huizong</i> Professor Zongqi Cai and an all-star team have made a major contribution to the field of classical Chinese prose by creating the preeminent reader. The book, with its comprehensive coverage of periods, styles, and authors, and a lucid interpretation of textual meanings and linguistic structures, will be immensely useful to learners of not only Chinese prose but also Chinese humanities, from literature to history and thought. -- David Wang, author of <i>The Lyrical in Epic Time: Modern Chinese Intellectuals and Artists through the 1949 Crisis</i> Cai Zong-qi's newest addition to his encyclopedic How To series surprises and instructs, convening the field's most respected scholars to lead students, and all lovers of literature, beneath the surface of translation, teaching them to discern the richly recondite poetics that shape traditional Chinese prose writing. -- Paula Varsano, author of <i>Tracking the Banished Immortal: The Poetry of Li Bo and its Critical Reception</i>