Ah Q Archaeology concretely situates Lu Xun's critique of national character vis-a-vis metanarratives of nationalism and modernity through a close examination of his works in their historical context. Paul B. Foster uses a discursive approach to tie together Lu Xun's major theme of national character critique and its fate in China's tumultuous twentieth century.

Jin Yong's Martial Arts Fiction and the Kungfu Industrial Complex explores the role of Jin Yong's popular martial arts fiction in Chinese literary and cultural discourse. The kungfu industrial complex accounts for how his characters, stories, and tropes maintain cultural significance via adaptation in television and film.