資本論 General Preface

Millions

of

Chinese

are

learning

English

to

acquire

knowledge

and

skills

for

communication

in

a

world

where

English

has

become

the

primary

language

for

international

discourse.

Yet

not

many

learners

have

come

to

realize

that

the

command

of

the

English

language

also

enables

them

to

have

an

easy

access

to

the

world

literary

classics

such

as

Shakespeare's

plays,

Shelley's

poems,Mark

Twain's

novels

and

Nietzsche's

works

which

are

an

important

part

of

liberal-arts

education.

The

most

important

goals

of

universities

are

not

vocational,

that

is,

not

merely

the

giving

of

knowledge

and

the

training

of

skills.

In

a

broad

sense,

education

aims

at

broadening

young

people's

mental

horizon,

cultivating

virtues

and

shaping

their

character.

Lincoln,

Mao

Zedong

and

many

other

great

leaders

and

personages

of

distinction

declared

how

they

drew

immense

inspiration

and

strength

from

literary

works.

As

a

matter

of

fact,

many

of

them

had

aspired

to

become

writers

in

their

young

age.

Alexander

the

Great(356-323

B.C.)

is

said

to

take

along

with

him

two

things,waking

or

sleeping:

a

book

and

a

dagger,

and

the

book

is

Iliad,

a

literary

classic,

by

Homer.

He

would

put

these

two

much

treasured

things

under

his

pillow

when

he

went

to

bed.

Today,

we

face

an

unprecedented

complex

and

changing

world.

To

cope

with

this

rapid

changing

world

requires

not

only

communication

skills,

but

also

adequate

knowledge

of

cultures

other

than

our

own

home

culture.Among

the

most

important

developments

in

present-day

global

culture

is

the

ever

increasing

cultural

exchanges

and

understanding

between

different

nations

and

peoples.And

one

of

the

best

ways

to

know

foreign

cultures

is

to

read

their

literary

works,

particularly

their

literary

classics,

the

soul

of

a

country's

culture.

They

also

give

you

the

best

language

and

the

feeling

of

sublimity.

Liaoning

People's

Publishing

House

is

to

be

congratulated

for

its

foresight

and

courage

in

making

a

new

series

of

world

literary

classics

(

Bedside

Classics)

available

to

the

reading

public.

It

is

hoped

that

people

with

an

adequate

command

of

the

English

language

will

read

them,

like

them

and

keep

them

as

their

lifetime

companions.

I

am

convinced

that

the

series

will

make

an

important

contribution

to

the

literary

education

of

the

young

people

in

China.

At

a

time

when

the

whole

country

is

emphasizing

\"spiritual

civilization\",

it

is

certainly

a

very

timely

venture

to

put

out

the

series

of

literary

classics

for

literary

and

cultural

education.

Zhang

Zhongzai

Professor

Beijing

Foreign

Studies

University

July,

2013

Beijing