方修及其作品硏究 = A STUDY OF FANG XIU AND HIS WORKS

Abstract

Fang Xiu, born in 1922, is an outstanding literary historian cum writer in the history of modern Malayan Chinese literature. He has so far written 33 books, of which “The Brief History Of Modern Malayan Chinese Literature” and “The First Draft History of Post-war Malayan Chinese Literature” are the two most notable works. Besides, he has also compiled 36 books, comprising the selected works of pre-war and post-war writers. This thesis consists of 13 chapters, which are summarized as follows: Chapter 1: Briefly depicts the development of modern Malayan Chinese literature from the early days of its evolution till today. Chapter 2: Discusses Fang Xiu's life experience and his literary works, with emphasis on how his literary works were influenced by his life experience. Chapter 3 to Chapter 6: Analyses Fang Xiu's literary thought, the criteria underlying his literary criticism, his political and educational thought, and his outlook of history. Chapter 7 and Chapter 8: Analyses Fang Xiu's achievements in various fields of research in modern Malayan Chinese literature. Chapter 9: Outlines Fang Xiu's compilation works. Chapter 10: Focuses on his academic research on classical Chinese literature such as “A Dream of Red Chamber” and modern Chinese literature. Chapter 11: Discusses Fang Xiu's prose with emphasis on his creative artistry. Chapter 12: Analyses the contents and artistry of Fang Xiu's classical poems. Chapter 13: Comments on Fang Xiu's position in and his influence on modern Malayan Chinese liteature.

There are several findings which are worth mentioning below: Firstly, on going through all the relevant data, one could conclude that Fang Xiu's contribution to modern Malayan Chinese literature is remarkable. With his advanced political and literary thought, Fang Xiu has not only depicted comprehensively and accurately the development of modern Malayan Chinese literature, but has also systematically compiled the selected works of outstanding Chinese writers. Because of his in-depth research works, modern Malayan Chinese literature has become a popular research topic for both local and overseas scholars. Secondly, this thesis deduces that Fang Xiu's commentaries and essays are an important part of his literary works which should be examined and analysed thoroughly. It concludes that his essays not only deepen the readers's understanding on current affairs, but to a certain extent also upgrade the comtemporary local writers' artistry. Thirdly, this thesis uncovers the fact that Fang Xiu's classical poems broadly reflect the reality of his times, which is very much different from the Malayan Chinese classical poems that traditionally put greater stress on expressing personal feelings and sentiments. His poems therefore are profused with the colour and flavour of South-East-Asia. Lastly, the thesis deduces that Fang Xiu's proposition of realism has in one way or another healthily enhanced the development of modern Malayan Chinese literature. As a well-known writer, Fang Xiu has edited a lot of literary supplements during his 28 years of service with Sin Chew Jit Poh. Through selections of readers' articles, and also through writing prefaces and forewords for the young writers, Fang Xiu has positively promoted the spirit of realism in literary works, thus accelerating the growth of realistic literary works in modern Malayan Chinese literature.