The seven essays by Chen Pingyuan gathered in this collection are mainly focused on the evolution of the fictional genre during the transitional period of late Qing and May Fourth: the role played by periodicals, the relationship between elitist and popular literature, the link between modern fiction and tradition. In a broader perspective, they address the cultural changes that took place in these challenging times: the teaching of literature or arts at the old Beijing University, the place of the Dianshizhai pictorial between popular culture and Western modernity. Through their approach,...