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xtie's review
4.0
Attempt #2 at this - this was source material I was examined on in my final year of my undergrad and for many reasons (my lack of patience, difficult memories from final year, and just all round less life experience under my belt) I couldn’t finish it in 2018.
Lu Xun looms large in recent Chinese literature - and I’m not sure he would have liked the way he was adopted by Mao and two generations of teaching. It’s difficult to ignore his legacy while reading his, sometimes heavy handed, diatribes against the backwardness and stupidity of the population. Some are funny and sometimes beautiful vignettes of early Imperial China, others feel like a sledgehammer to the head. Grateful for Lovell’s judicious attention to footnotes - you won’t get very far without them, although it is a pain to have to flip to the end for them.
For sure a classic, im just not the biggest fan of his prose and the translation is challenging (the number of times I read “balderdash” was overwhelming)
Lu Xun looms large in recent Chinese literature - and I’m not sure he would have liked the way he was adopted by Mao and two generations of teaching. It’s difficult to ignore his legacy while reading his, sometimes heavy handed, diatribes against the backwardness and stupidity of the population. Some are funny and sometimes beautiful vignettes of early Imperial China, others feel like a sledgehammer to the head. Grateful for Lovell’s judicious attention to footnotes - you won’t get very far without them, although it is a pain to have to flip to the end for them.
For sure a classic, im just not the biggest fan of his prose and the translation is challenging (the number of times I read “balderdash” was overwhelming)
brannonkrkhuang's review
The Penguin Classics translation is terrible. I’ll be ordering other editions of his writings with better translators.
evgeorge's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mood_124's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Many different stories covering many different topics all relating to one's life.
Fable like short narratives.
Lovely stories, definitely worth the read, as I really can't think of an English counterpart. A truely Eastern style of writing that brings an unique and joyful read.
Fable like short narratives.
Lovely stories, definitely worth the read, as I really can't think of an English counterpart. A truely Eastern style of writing that brings an unique and joyful read.
spacestationtrustfund's review
3.0
Julia Lovell's translations have typically been pretty impressive, in my experience; I really enjoyed her translation of 馬橋詞典 (韓少功).
I've already read 《狂人日记》 (plus in Chinese) and 《阿Q正傳》, as well as a nonfiction book about Lu Xun.
I've already read 《狂人日记》 (plus in Chinese) and 《阿Q正傳》, as well as a nonfiction book about Lu Xun.
ipb1's review
3.0
A very uneven collection and overall I simply failed to connect with it. The 'peasantry' are presented as superstitious and stupid, the 'aristocracy' vain and vacuous, and in the absence of any proffered alternatives this just makes Lu Xun come across as rather supercilious and snide.
violetrb's review
fast-paced
5.0
SO GOOD literally bury me with this book. there were so many stories but such a wide variety of topics and characters. no story was alike and i really really enjoyed everything!!!!!!!! (detailed reviews of each short story are written in the book)
marystevens's review
4.0
Short stories, all the fiction Lu Xun wrote. Lu Xun wrote in the first part of the twentieth century with the intention of inciting the Chinese to abandon Confucian mores and embrace Western values. Mao called him "a hero without parallel in our history". The two best are Diary Of A Madman and The Real Story Of Ah-Q. I think Both are allegories about the deficiencies of Confucian society.
Madman begins with a hagiography in Classical Chinese then switches to the vernacular for the story of a younger brother who seeks refuge in his older brother's home where he develops a paranoia that his brother and the villagers are cannibals who plan to eat him. This story was inspired by Nickolai Gogol's novella of the same title. Gogol's story is also an inner dialogue, this time of a clerk who gradually realizes he has been made the King of Spain. All the other Lu Xun stories are written in the vernacular. Ah-Q is a name which means Nothing and the shape of the letter Q symbolizes a faceless Chinese man with a queue. Ah-Q nonetheless interprets every humiliation and setback as a victory and a recognition of his genius.
Both of these stories are superbly crafted and memorable. I read some of the other stories and concluded that they're probably more interesting if you're Chinese yourself and interested in history.
Lu Xun was a major part of the curriculum in Chinese schools until recently but now he is being somewhat displaced by more modern writers. These two stories are still in the canon however. Interestingly the current government is bringing back some Confucian ideas.
Madman begins with a hagiography in Classical Chinese then switches to the vernacular for the story of a younger brother who seeks refuge in his older brother's home where he develops a paranoia that his brother and the villagers are cannibals who plan to eat him. This story was inspired by Nickolai Gogol's novella of the same title. Gogol's story is also an inner dialogue, this time of a clerk who gradually realizes he has been made the King of Spain. All the other Lu Xun stories are written in the vernacular. Ah-Q is a name which means Nothing and the shape of the letter Q symbolizes a faceless Chinese man with a queue. Ah-Q nonetheless interprets every humiliation and setback as a victory and a recognition of his genius.
Both of these stories are superbly crafted and memorable. I read some of the other stories and concluded that they're probably more interesting if you're Chinese yourself and interested in history.
Lu Xun was a major part of the curriculum in Chinese schools until recently but now he is being somewhat displaced by more modern writers. These two stories are still in the canon however. Interestingly the current government is bringing back some Confucian ideas.