The Uses of Literature

The Uses of Literature examines how Chinese citizens engaged with literature during the Mao era and its aftermath. Perry Link analyzes official state publications alongside underground works to reveal reading habits and literary consumption patterns during this period. Link draws on interviews, surveys, and archival research to document how different social groups interpreted and used literature in their daily lives. The book explores the complex relationship between state control of publishing and the ways readers found meaning in both approved and forbidden texts. The research spans multiple decades and social strata, from factory workers to intellectuals, mapping out how literature functioned as entertainment, moral guidance, and political commentary. The study includes analysis of popular novels, poetry, drama and other literary forms that circulated in China during this time. This work reveals the persistence of individual meaning-making even within rigid ideological constraints, and demonstrates literature's role as a space for negotiating between state power and personal autonomy.

Readers find this book offers deep analysis of how literature functioned in 1970s-80s China through examining texts, readers' reactions, and cultural impact. Several reviewers note Link's detailed research and first-hand observations during his time in China. Readers appreciated: - Clear explanations of complex censorship and control mechanisms - Documentation of reading practices and literary discussion groups - Balance of academic rigor with accessible writing - Inclusion of diverse reader perspectives Key criticism: - Academic tone can be dry in some sections - Some chapters repeat similar themes - Limited coverage of post-1990s developments Reviews and Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (17 ratings) Amazon: Not enough reviews for rating Google Books: No ratings available Note: This book has limited reviews online, as it's primarily an academic text. Most discussion appears in scholarly publications rather than consumer review sites.

Reading in the Dark: Chinese Literature and Culture in the 1980s by Jeffrey Kinkley An analysis of modern Chinese literature during a pivotal decade through the lens of social and political change.

Literature and Revolution by Leon Trotsky A study of literature's function in society and its relationship to political movements through examination of Russian works.

The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation by Peter France An exploration of how literature moves across cultural boundaries and shapes understanding between different societies through translation.

Chinese Modern: The Heroic and the Quotidian by Xiaobing Tang An examination of twentieth-century Chinese literature's role in shaping national identity and social consciousness.

From Ah Q to Lei Feng: Freud and Revolutionary Spirit in 20th Century China by Wendy Larson A cultural analysis of how literature reflected and influenced Chinese consciousness through the study of fictional characters and archetypes.

🔖 Perry Link spent years collecting and analyzing thousands of Chinese hand-copied entertainment manuscripts (dubbed "hand-copied entertainment fiction") that circulated underground during the Cultural Revolution. 📚 The book examines how everyday Chinese citizens used literature as a form of resistance and emotional outlet during periods of strict government control over published works. 📖 Many of the underground literary works studied in the book were shared through informal networks where readers would copy texts by hand and pass them along, creating a vibrant "second culture" beneath official censorship. 🎓 Perry Link is one of the most prominent Western scholars of Chinese language and literature, and was banned from entering China in 1996 due to his academic work and advocacy. 📜 The research reveals how seemingly simple entertainment literature served multiple social functions: escape from reality, subtle political commentary, preservation of pre-revolutionary culture, and community building among readers.