Biannianti 编年体（annal）， jizhuanti纪传体 （chronical） and jishibenmoti纪事本末体 （major events） are the three main literary genres of ancient Chinese historical writings， and they are also the three main genres used in compiling a general history of Chinese literature. Almost all textbooks on general history of Chinese literature are written in annalistic style， with the main content focusing on writers and their works， as well as a systematical analysis of genre evolution and literary trends. These textbooks are pr

oducts of modern education， and the evaluation criteria of writing have gradually evolved within this context. It is from thie perspective that

The Development History of Chinese Literarure

中国文学发展史 by Liu Dajie 刘大杰 has achieved a success. The style of jishibenmoti is exemplified by

The Columbia History of Chinese Literature

， which constructs the entire book in a thematic narrative style， primarily including diverse literary genres such as poetry， prose， fiction， drama， literary criticism， and folk literature. It begins with a foundational section of over a hundred thousand words， which provides a thematic analysis of the language and ideas that form the basis of Chinese literary history. The chronological style is exemplified by

The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature

， which approaches the subject through specific time periods rather than focusing on individual writers or academic themes， constituting its distinctive feature.

The Columbia History of Chinese Literature

and

The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature

are academic works rather than textbooks， and their value and shortcomings should be understood from this perspective.