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Lin Yutang and China’s Search for Modern Rebirth pp 95–125Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

From “Little Critic” to “Master of Humor”

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Part of the book series: Canon and World Literature ((CAWOLI))

Abstract

This chapter discusses the life and works of Lin Yutang in the 1930s in Shanghai (1927–1936) by focusing on his promotion of the humor discourse in modern Chinese literature and culture. It highlights the fact that the discourse of humor in modern Chinese literature and culture was very much a bilingual practice of cross-cultural translation. Lin’s promotion of “youmo” in the Chinese-language journals such as Lunyu originated from his English-language essays he wrote for The China Critic journal when he started “The Little Critic” column there in 1930. The chapter goes on to examine the nature and significance of the humor discourse following what Lin called “humor as social critique” and “humor as freedom of self.”

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  1. Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Suoqiao Qian

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Qian, S. (2017). From “Little Critic” to “Master of Humor”. In: Lin Yutang and China’s Search for Modern Rebirth. Canon and World Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4657-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4657-5_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4656-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4657-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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