Merry Laughter and Angry Curses
The Shanghai Tabloid Press, 1897-1911
9780774823395
9780774823388
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Merry Laughter and Angry Curses
The Shanghai Tabloid Press, 1897-1911
Merry Laughter and Angry Curses reveals how the late-Qing-era tabloid press became the voice of the people. As periodical publishing reached a fever pitch, tabloids had free rein to criticize officials, mock the elite, and scandalize readers. Tabloid writers produced a massive amount of anti-establishment literature, whose distinctive humour and satirical style were both potent and popular. This book shows the tabloid community to be both a producer of meanings and a participant in the social and cultural dialogue that would shake the foundations of imperial China and lead to the 1911 Republican Revolution.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Community of Fun
2 Officialdom Unmasked
3 Imagining the Nation
4 Confronting the βNewβ
5 Questioning the Appropriators
6 The Market, Populism, and Aesthetics
Conclusion
Notes
Glossary of Chinese Terms and Names
Bibliography
Index
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