Different from previous researches weighted toward historical description and individual writer and work, this book establishes a general analytical system and a multi-angled methodology to examine Chinese literature.

The author Yuan Xingpei is a professor of Peking University, a famous expert on Chinese classic literature. Based on his own appreciation as a reader and years of study, the author expounds on every aspect of Chinese literature: characteristics, time periods, regional nature, categories, allure, transmission, appreciation, etc. It's worth mentioning that the...