ThisisanattempttowriteahistoryofEnglishliteratureadmittedlywithaninnovativeapproach.ThetraditionalaswellasthemoremodernviewsintheWestonliterarymovements,schools,traditionsandinfluencesinthefieldofEnglishliteratureandonindividualEnglishauthorsandtheirmajorandminorworksareheregivenduerespectandseriousconsideration,butwiththereservationsometimestodifferandoccasionallytointroducenewandtotallycontraryjudgmentsfromtheviewpointofhistoricalmaterialismi.e.,thewritersandtheirwritingsaretobegiventheirproperplacesineachcaseinaccordancewiththeroles,healthfulorotherwise,thattheyplayintheprogressofhistory,socialandliterary.Ofcourse,whetherorhowfarhaveIsucceededinthesepagesinlivinguptothetheoryadvancedaboveawaitsjudgmentfrommyreaders.
ThishistoryiswrittenprimarilyforChinesereaders,inparticularforChinesecollegestudentsmajoringinEnglishlanguageandliterature,withtheaimtogivethemahistoricalsurveyofEnglishliteraturefromitsearliestbeginningsdowntothe20thcentury.AsmanycollegestudentsinChinatodayarebeingintroducedforthefirsttimetoEnglishliteratureinanysystematicway,biographicalsketchesofthemajorwritersandratherdetailedresumesoftheirmajorworksaregenerallyprovidedinthishistory,beforeIenterintoanyseriousdiscussionsontheauthorsandtheirwritings.
Acompanion-bookprovidingstudentswithselectionsfromrepresentativeworksofrepresentativeEnglishauthors,arrangedchronologicallyandaccompaniedwithintroductoryremarksandnotes,isexpectedtoappearatthesametimeasthishistory.Itishopedthatthetwobookstogether,thishistoryand“SelectedReadingsinEnglishLiterature”,willgivethestudentsarudimentaryknowledgeofEnglishliteratureinitshistoricaldevelopment.
InviewofthevastlydifferentlevelsofproficiencyintheEnglishlanguageamongEnglishmajorsinChinesecollegesanduniversitiestoday,ashorterhistorythanthis,writteninsimplerlanguage,seemsalsonecessaryforthepresent.Suchabookisnowbeingprepared.