Chinese Literature: A Very Short Introduction
"Very much to the point, starts in antiquity." --Tyler Cowen,The New York Times Magazine("A Really Short Book Review" section)"This short book is a marvel of economy, substance, and style."--Tyler Cowen, George Mason University (on his blogMarginal Revolution)"To summarize almost 3,000 years of literature in just 120 pages is no doubt a very difficult task; nevertheless, Sabine Knight has done so brilliantly." -- Taciana Fisac, The China Journal"Sabina Knight has managed to square the circle in presenting a lucid and engaging survey of the main trends, authors and works of three thousand years of Chinese literature up to the present, striking the right balance between concrete example and general analysis, in such a short compass." --Wilt L. Idema, Professor of Chinese Literature, Harvard University"A marvelous little book. Consistently lively, engaging, and thought-provoking. Knight successfully balances brevity and accessibility on the one hand and real intellectual substance on the other.  It's beautifully written and a genuine pleasure to read."-- David L. Porter, University of Michigan and author ofThe Chinese Taste in Eighteenth-Century England"Like all the best books in this series, Knight's covers a great deal of ground in a lively and opinionated but deeply informed manner." -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author ofChina in the 21st Century(on the Asia Society Blog)"This book is a great way for me to show non-China professional students the valuable contributions that Chinese culture has to offer to our understanding of how the world works in general."-- Elanah Uretsky, The George Washington University, Global Health, Anthropology, and Elliott School of International Affairs"It would be hard to find a more pithy or profound description of the soul of Chinese culture than this little jewel, which deserves repeated and thoughtful reading; it is as brilliant and beautiful as it is brief."--G. Wright Doyle, author ofChina: Ancient Culture, Modern Society"As an introduction to Chinese literature, this little book has accomplished its big mission. The scope of coverage is impressive, and the skill with which Knight makes the mountain of material cohere is remarkable."--Li-hua Ying,Modern Chinese Literature and Culture