Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 12, 2022

The Historical Significance of Literary Editors: With a Focus on Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature

(Abstract)

Huang Fayou

In the study of modern and contemporary Chinese literature, literary editors have long been neglected. In fact, editors play a crucial role in the process of literature generation and development. Social development has put forward new requirements for literary editors and promoted a series of evolutions and innovations in editing and compilation thinking, style, and business. Literary editors have participated in the historical modernization process of Chinese literature; in a sense, the literary publishing enterprise can be understood as their intellectual history and life-course history. In the context of nonstop change, questions such as “What to edit?” “How to edit?” and “For whom to edit?” have remained central to literary editing. Editing is an art of discovery. Discovering and cultivating new talents is a fine tradition in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese literature. Selecting topics and commissioning authors to write on given topics call on editors to act as players, which has two layers of meaning: it signifies both content innovation and value guidance. Outstanding literary editors build aesthetic standards with profound humanity, enhance aesthetic style and oppose vulgar taste. Tasked with striving for excellence, good editors break new ground with innovative measures, produce literary masterpieces with craftsmanship, and pave the way for literary classics and writers’ growth. In the new era, they should aim high and adhere to the stance of the people, serving and guiding readers, giving new impetus to the development of high-quality literature and the literary cause.