{"product_id":"the-unworthy-scholar-from-pingjiang-republicanera-martial-arts-fiction-9780231190565","title":"The Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang RepublicanEra","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eXiang Kairan, who wrote under the pen name The Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang, is remembered as the father of modern Chinese martial arts fiction. In this book, John Christopher Hamm shows how Xiang Kairan's work and career offer a new lens on the transformations of fiction and popular culture in early twentieth-century China.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecommended. * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang\u003c\/i\u003e offers an impressively well researched, stunningly thorough and balanced study of the most important author of Republican-era martial arts fiction, his life and oeuvre. -- Roland Altenburger * Modern Chinese Literature and Culture *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unworthy Scholar from Pianjiang Republican-era martial arts fiction\u003c\/i\u003e is a critical step in the right direction. -- Tom Ue * Rescue and Recovery *\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang\u003c\/i\u003e, Hamm traces the life and work of Xiang Kairan, one of the most important martial arts novelists of the Republican period. Hamm broadly situates Xiang Kairan into the larger cultural and political landscape of Republican China and investigates the intricacies of the martial arts fiction genre. Hamm is one of the most important literary critics studying martial arts fiction, and this book is a most \"worthy\" contribution to our understanding of this understudied corner of the modern Chinese literary world. -- Michael Berry, University of California, Los Angeles\u003cbr\u003eAn exquisite literary biography, \u003ci\u003eThe Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang\u003c\/i\u003e is also a definitive study of genre.  Hamm demonstrates that Republican-period martial arts fiction was as much part of Chinese modernity as were the highbrow oeuvres of the New Culture movement.  His masterful study changes our perception of contemporary Chinese culture. -- Meir Shahar, Tel Aviv University\u003cbr\u003eHamm has written a fascinating study of Xiang Kairan, one of the most influential practitioners of the Chinese martial arts (\u003ci\u003ewuxia\u003c\/i\u003e) novel. In addition to being an exemplary literary biography, \u003ci\u003eThe Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang\u003c\/i\u003e is a meticulous history of the modern development of the \u003ci\u003ewuxia\u003c\/i\u003e genre and an insightful reconsideration of the capacious literary category of \u003ci\u003exiaoshuo\u003c\/i\u003e (“fiction”). -- Christopher Rea, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHamm’s illuminating book paints a vivid picture of the complex literary world of early Republican China, beyond the well-known narratives of New Literature. Like its subject, it bridges traditional and modern Chinese fiction, exploring the literary, economic, and political values mediated by the periodical press and the dominant discourses of the era. An engaging, fresh approach. -- Margaret Wan, University of Utah\u003cbr\u003eHamm’s book spells out the significance of a writer who had a lasting effect on his chosen genre, but whose works remain little known outside China. * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eBy digging deep into the historical background and illustrating details of Xiang Kairan's writings, this book implied that as insignificant as the destiny of an individual may seem to be, it is tightly related with the progression of the society and might potentially help drive it further. * Publishing Research Quarterly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eNotes on Conventions\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e1. The Writer’s Life\u003cbr\u003e2. Xiang Kairan’s Monkeys: \u003ci\u003eXiaoshuo \u003c\/i\u003eas a Literary Genre\u003cbr\u003e3. Thematic Subgenre: Martial Arts Fiction\u003cbr\u003e4. Form and Medium: The Serialized Linked-Chapter Novel and Beyond\u003cbr\u003e5. \u003ci\u003eMarvelous Gallants of the Rivers and Lakes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e6. \u003ci\u003eChivalric Heroes of Modern Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConclusion: The Unworthy Scholar from Pingjiang\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400337334615,"sku":"9780231190565","price":49.3,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231190565.jpg?v=1730470427","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-unworthy-scholar-from-pingjiang-republicanera-martial-arts-fiction-9780231190565","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}