ABSTRACT
In 1922, at the height of the debate between the old and new literature, the leading May Fourth movement author Mao Dun ( 1896-1981) published his article “Ziranzhuyi yu Zhongguo xiandai xiaoshuo”
(On naturalism and contemporary Chinese fiction) in Xiaoshuo yuebao (Short story magazine). Of the various targets of this article, the short story “Liushengji pian” (A gramophone record) was extensively quoted and criticized. While Mao Dun did not mention the author by name, he did point to a certain volume of the popular journal Libailiu (Saturday), in which the reader could find the story as well as its author. The author was Zhou Shoujuan (1894-1968), a key figure in the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies camp, and Mao Dun apparently had good reason to criticize this particular story. At the time Zhou was known as the “king of the sad love story,” and was particularly adored by young people as the “God of Love.” “Gramophone” struck a sentimental chord; it was said a married woman was so touched by this love tragedy that she was willing to die without regret because she found someone who knew her better than anyone else in the world.
