Victor Mair is professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania and the founder and editor of Sino-Platonic Papers, an academic journal that examines diverse aspects of Chinese language, script, and culture, paying particular attention to historical relationships with other societies in Eurasia. Mair is also a critically acclaimed translator of The Art of War: Sun Zi's Military Methods and the editor of The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature.

• Prolegomenon Preface Map of China Introduction: The Origins and Impact of Literati Culture 1. Foundations Language and Script, by Victor H. Mair Myth, by Anne Birrell Philosophy and Literature in Early China, by Michael Puett The Thirteen Classics, by Paul Rakita Goldin Shih-ching Poetry and Didacticism in Ancient Chinese Literature, by Jeffrey Riegel The Supernatural, by Rania Huntington Wit and Humor, by Karin Myhre Proverbs, by John S. Rohsenow Buddhist Literature, by Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer and Victor H. Mair Taoist Heritage, by Judith Boltz Women in Literature, by Anne Birrell 2. Poetry Sao, fu, Parallel Prose, and Related Genres, by Christopher Leigh Connery Poetry from 200 b.c.e. to 600 c.e., by Robert Joe Cutter Poetry of the T'ang Dynasty, by Paul W. Kroll Tz'u, by Stuart Sargent Sung Dynasty shih Poetry, by Michael A. Fuller Yan san-ch, by Wayne Schlepp Mongol-Yuan Classical Verse (shih), by Richard John Lynn Poetry of the Fourteenth Century, by John Timothy Wixted Poetry of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, by Daniel Bryant Poetry of the Seventeenth Century, by Richard John Lynn Poetry of the Eighteenth to Early Twentieth Centuries, by Daniel Bryant Ch'ing Lyric, by David McCraw Modern Poetry, by Michelle Yeh Poetry and Painting, by Charles Hartman 3. Prose The Literary Features of Historical Writing, by Stephen Durrant Early Biography, by William H. Nienhauser, Jr. Expository Prose, by Ronald Egan Records of Anomalies, by Ying Hu Travel Literature, by James Hargett Sketches, by James Hargett Twentieth-Century Prose, by Philip F. C. Williams 4. Fiction T-ang Tales, by William H. Nienhauser, Jr. Vernacular Stories, by Yenna Wu Full-Length Vernacular Fiction, by Wai-yee Li Traditional Vernacular Novels: Some Lesser-Known Works, by Daria Berg The Later Classical Tale, by Allan H. Barr End of the Empire to the Beginning of the Republic (1897-1916), by Milena Doleelov-Velingerov Twentieth-Century Fiction, by Philip F. C. Williams China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan during the 1980s and 1990s, by Helmut Martin 5. Drama Traditional Dramatic Literature, by Wilt L. Idema Twentieth-Century Spoken Drama, by Xiaomei Chen 6. Commentary, Criticism, and Interpretation The Rhetoric of Premodern Prose Style, by Christoph Harbsmeier Classical Exegesis, by Haun Saussy Literary Theory and Criticism, by Dore J. Levy Traditional Fiction Commentary, by David L. Rolston 7. Popular and Peripheral Manifestations Balladry and Popular Song, by Anne Birrell Tun-huang Literature, by Neil Schmid The Oral-Formulaic Tradition, by Anne E. McLaren Regional Literatures, by Mark Bender Ethnic Minority Literature, by Mark Bender The Translator's Turn: The Birth of Modern Chinese Language and Fiction, by Lydia H. Liu The Reception of Chinese Literature in Korea, by Emanuel Pastreich The Reception of Chinese Literature in Japan, by Emanuel Pastreich The Reception of Chinese Literature in Vietnam, by Emanuel Pastreich Chart of the Chinese Dynasties Romanization Conversion Chart from Wade-Giles to Pinyin Glossary

This ambitious history explores a wide range of Chinese literature, from the classics to humor to folk tales to oral traditions, and moves from ancient times to the end of the twentieth century... Mair has overseen a host of excellent scholars writing on a vast subject. -- Kitty Chen Library Journal The Columbia History of Chinese Literature is indeed the most comprehensive single-volume introduction to Chinese literature, premodern and modern. It goes without saying that no library can afford not to make this impressive volume available to its readers, and that nobody with a serious interest in Chinese literature can possibly disregard this comprehensive and most inspiring volume. -- Bernhard Fuehrer The China Quarterly A monumental contribution to the field of Chinese literary studies. -- Richard B. Mather Journal of the American Oriental Society