Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2024

The Multiple Aspects of the Rural Narrative in the New Era: After Reading Lao Teng’s Chronicles of Grass and Trees

(Abstract)

Zhou Rong

Lao Teng’s novel Chronicles of Grass and Trees responds to the historical question of “where the youth should go” that permeates contemporary literature by chronicling the growth of a village cadre. The novel depicts the dramatic transformations of the mountainous villages brimming with natural vitality and cultural poetry in the new era while radiating humanistic and rural vibrancy. In the process of reconstructing Xuli village, the novel establishes an effective cognitive iterative path between grand narratives and microlife, and between holistic goals and local experiences, thus completing a narrative of rural life in the new historical context.