General Preface

MillionsofChinesearelearningEnglishtoacquireknowledgeandskillsforcommunicationinaworldwhereEnglishhasbecometheprimarylanguageforinternationaldiscourse.YetnotmanylearnershavecometorealizethatthecommandoftheEnglishlanguagealsoenablesthemtohaveaneasyaccesstotheworldliteraryclassicssuchasShakespeare’splays,Shelley’spoems,markTwain’snovelsandNietzsche’sworkswhichareanimportantpartofliberal-artseducation.Themostimportantgoalsofuniversitiesarenotvocational,thatis,notmerelythegivingofknowledgeandthetrainingofskills.

Inabroadsense,educationaimsatbroadeningyoungpeople’smentalhorizon,cultivatingvirtuesandshapingtheircharacter.Lincoln,MaoZedongandmanyothergreatleadersandpersonagesofdistinctiondeclaredhowtheydrewimmenseinspirationandstrengthfromliteraryworks.Asamatteroffact,manyofthemhadaspiredtobecomewritersintheiryoungage.AlexandertheGreat(356-323B.C.)issaidtotakealongwithhimtwothings,wakingorsleeping:abookandadagger,andthebookisIliad,aliteraryclassic,byHomer.Hewouldputthesetwomuchtreasuredthingsunderhispillowwhenhewenttobed.

Today,wefaceanunprecedentedcomplexandchangingworld.Tocopewiththisrapidchangingworldrequiresnotonlycommunicationskills,butalsoadequateknowledgeofculturesotherthanourownhomeculture.Amongthemostimportantdevelopmentsinpresent-dayglobalcultureistheeverincreasingculturalexchangesandunderstandingbetweendifferentnationsandpeoples.Andoneofthebestwaystoknowforeignculturesistoreadtheirliteraryworks,particularlytheirliteraryclassics,thesoulofacountry’sculture.Theyalsogiveyouthebestlanguageandthefeelingofsublimity.

LiaoningPeople’sPublishingHouseistobecongratulatedforitsforesightandcourageinmakinganewseriesofworldliteraryclassicsavailabletothereadingpublic.ItishopedthatpeoplewithanadequatecommandoftheEnglishlanguagewillreadthem,likethemandkeepthemastheirlifetimecompanions.

Iamconvincedthattheserieswillmakeanimportantcontributiontotheliteraryeducationoftheyoungpeopleinchina.Atatimewhenthewholecountryisemphasizing“spiritualcivilization”,itiscertainlyaverytimelyventuretoputouttheseriesofliteraryclassicsforliteraryandculturaleducation.

ZhangZhongzai

Professor

BeijingForeignStudiesUniversity

July,2013Beijing