Anatomy of the Chinese Prose Form : An Overview

To help English readers get beyond the translational homogeneity noted in the introductory essay, we first given an overview of all major Chinese prose forms, demonstrating how they were developed for expressive, communicative, and other purposes as well as how they were consciously perfected as a medium of artistic creation over the millennia. To give such an overview, however, is easier said than done for one simple reason: As of today, Chinese prose forms have not been satisfactorily codified into a systematic whole. All existing classifications of prose forms are too broad, incomplete, and not analytical enough to illuminate the historical development of Chinese prose art.