Book Review of The True Story of Ah Q
Book Review of “The True Story of Ah Q”
Course: HIS 1601E
Student Name: Xiqian Yang
Student Number: 250701761
TA: Chris
The True Story of Ah Q is written by Xun Lu, one of the most famous author and thinkers in modern China. This book is one of his representative novels. Xun Lu, the founder of Chinese literature, originally went to Japan to study medicine in order to save people. Then he realized that, for China at that time, saving people not only means rescuing people physically but also mentally. At the same time, he found out that it is the national spirit that needs to be changed in Chinese society. For this reason, Xun Lu decided to devoted himself to the literary and artistic work. He attempted to lead people start to think and change through his sharp criticism towards the Chinese society in his works. The Opium War left a heavy and long-lasting impact on China. From the Opium War in 1840, China suffered the colonialist aggression for almost 110 years, which was a hard time for China. In “The True Story of Ah Q”, Xun Lu displayed a Chinese society around 1911, when a series of Chinese Revolutions were taking place. The contradiction between classes in rural areas was fairly intense then. This book profoundly reveals it and criticizes the lack of thoroughness of the revolution. Ah Q, a farm laborer, was oppressed by the landowner for a long time. As for him, the only living way of the spirit is ‘spiritual victory’. He positioned in the lowest class the real world, but he is not willing to face the truth. Self-deception and arrogance are methods he uses to comfort himself. At last，he wants to resist, but was killed by reactionary forces. Xun Lu expressed his sympathy to the class of farm labors because of their oppressed situation. At the same time, he also pointed out that this situation is also resulted from their own unwillingness to revolt. Xun Lu tried to wake up their desire to promote
Course: HIS 1601E
Student Name: Xiqian Yang
Student Number: 250701761
TA: Chris
The True Story of Ah Q is written by Xun Lu, one of the most famous author and thinkers in modern China. This book is one of his representative novels. Xun Lu, the founder of Chinese literature, originally went to Japan to study medicine in order to save people. Then he realized that, for China at that time, saving people not only means rescuing people physically but also mentally. At the same time, he found out that it is the national spirit that needs to be changed in Chinese society. For this reason, Xun Lu decided to devoted himself to the literary and artistic work. He attempted to lead people start to think and change through his sharp criticism towards the Chinese society in his works. The Opium War left a heavy and long-lasting impact on China. From the Opium War in 1840, China suffered the colonialist aggression for almost 110 years, which was a hard time for China. In “The True Story of Ah Q”, Xun Lu displayed a Chinese society around 1911, when a series of Chinese Revolutions were taking place. The contradiction between classes in rural areas was fairly intense then. This book profoundly reveals it and criticizes the lack of thoroughness of the revolution. Ah Q, a farm laborer, was oppressed by the landowner for a long time. As for him, the only living way of the spirit is ‘spiritual victory’. He positioned in the lowest class the real world, but he is not willing to face the truth. Self-deception and arrogance are methods he uses to comfort himself. At last，he wants to resist, but was killed by reactionary forces. Xun Lu expressed his sympathy to the class of farm labors because of their oppressed situation. At the same time, he also pointed out that this situation is also resulted from their own unwillingness to revolt. Xun Lu tried to wake up their desire to promote