嚴復
Three essays are included in the first portion of the book. "The Rise of 'New Fiction'", by Shu-ying Tsau discusses essays by Yan Fu, Liang Qichao (Liang Ch'i-ch'ao), and other intellectuals which advocated for fiction that called for modernization, since the authors believed fiction had the ability to influence minds of people. The other essays, "Typology of Plot Structures in Late Qing Novels" and "Narrative Modes in Late Qing Novels," were written by the book's editor. In the first essay she discusses different plot structures in Qing Dynasty novels, including "Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed over Two Decades" by Wu Jianren (Wu Woyao). Her second essay discusses three narrative modes in the novels.