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在杭州大学，也许没有一位教授有孙席珍先生那样丰富的人生经历。本刊曾选摘连载过《孙席珍评传》，对他从“诗孩”“京华才子”到北伐军少校，再到北方左联书记，中共北方局五人特别党小组成员等风云激荡的经历，做过详细的介绍。本文将着重关注孙席珍由绚烂归于平静的杭大执教生涯，并对其学术成就做一简评。
1950年9月开学初，在浙江大学中文系担任助教兼秘书的王荣初听系主任郑奠先生说，有一位孙先生孙教授要来。过了两三天，一个下午，孙席珍冒着大雨，来到系办公室。他皮肤白净，瘦瘦的脸，戴着一副圆框近视眼镜，西装笔挺整洁，头发纹丝不乱，整个人看起来又干净又精神。对于自己的过去，孙席珍却绝少提起。郑奠先生慕名从南京大学借调来了孙席珍。接下来1952年院系调整，孙席珍被借而不还，从此在杭大安定下来。
孙席珍的到来，颇引起了一番轰动。在当时的浙大中文系，教授古典文学的人才济济，甚至可说是颇为富裕。但教授现代文学、外国文学的人却寥寥可数。孙福熙、许钦文、王西彦都曾在这里教过现代文学，却因为各种原因先后离去。孙席珍之教授现代文学，是有其特殊性的。他从1922年求学北大起就开始发表诗作及小说，被鲁迅先生等前辈称誉为“诗孩”“京华才子”，北伐之后又成为著名的“战争小说家”，同期的“新乡土小说”更成为北方左联唯一的扛鼎之作。这位现代文学亲历者，讲授现代文学，自然如数家珍。更何况，他上世纪30年代初便在高校任教西洋文学，有着深厚的理论修养，曾编写过《近代文艺思潮》《英国文学研究》等专著。孙席珍对中西文艺思潮的对比、参鉴有着独到的心得。因此，他对现代文学的研究，不仅仅局限于对几位文坛前辈的往事回忆、文坛史料的披露揭发，或是单篇作品的考订解读，更能从思潮、流派的角度，梳理比较，所论常常一言触的，鞭辟入里。他晚年写作的《关于中国现代文学思潮流派问题》一文分别从规律问题、主流问题、思潮与作家作品的结合、文艺批评、资料的掌握运用鉴别问题以及人的问题着手，主张辩证看待、精细研究，以发展的眼光、批判的眼光做研究，实为确论，曾为《新华文摘》全文转载。
至于外国文学，更是孙席珍的老本行。从北伐战争的战场退下来后，孙席珍在两年不到的时间里，就编译了《辛克莱评传》《莫泊桑生活》《雪莱生活》《高尔基评传》《东印度故事》五本书，可谓精力惊人。他对辛克莱、高尔基、莫泊桑等人做了深入而扎实的研究，考订年谱、著作编目等，几乎对每位传主都做了深入浅出的精当论述。后经周作人介绍，他辗转至北平女子师范大学、中国大学等处任教外国文学。他于其时出版的《近代文艺思潮》《英国文学研究》等论著、译著都是外国文学研究界的开山之作。孙席珍对英国文学研究尤为擅长，可惜当时所著《英国浪漫诗人》《外国文学漫谈》《战争文学论》《欧洲文学史》《文学概论》许多都毁于战火，或已散佚。特别是《近代文艺思潮》，这是中国第一部系统研究外国近代文学思潮的专著。整本书不到10万字，薄薄的一本，举要钩元，抉择有度，可以提纲挈领地把握近代以来的文学思潮发展进程，并且还是第一部囊括苏联社会主义文学的论著。像孙席珍这样，早在上世纪30年代就能自觉地从马克思主义文艺理论出发，从社会背景入手梳理文艺思潮的发展脉络，可以说是开辟了一条研究西方文艺思潮的正确道路。
到杭大任教后，孙席珍多次参加了高教部组织的外国文学教学研讨会，与罗念生、商承祖等一起，制订教学大纲。孙席珍以广阔的理论视野，比照轻重主次，创制确立了外国文学课程方案体系。自本科三年级起共习两年：两个学期教授西方文学，一学期讲授苏联与东欧文学，一学期讲授东方文学。这个方案体例后来推广到全国。在分头编写教材时，孙席珍承担了全世界公认为最难的古希腊文学史。由于中国暂时还没有能力独立编写，教育部便委托孙席珍翻译吉尔伯特·默雷的《古希腊文学史》。后来此书由上海译文社出版，孙席珍与两位外语系教师一同翻译完成。这本书至今依然是外国文学研习者的必读书目。
在杭大，孙席珍独立编写了大量的教材讲义，内容几乎包括了外国文学的全部领域。其中，《西欧文学史》三易其稿，曾拟公开发行，《日本文学史》《印度文学史》《东欧文学史》均属于填补空白的著作。这些教材数易其稿，虽仅由杭大内部印行(大学内部印行出版教材是民国时的旧例，一般都可视为专著研究成果)，但交流于各院校，反响甚巨。但“文革”抄家，这十余部本拟正式出版的文学史，除《东欧文学史》外竟毁于一旦!
孙席珍初来杭大，同时承担现代文学与外国文学，后外国文学课程加重，他便专攻外国文学。“文革”结束后，由于人事纠葛，孙席珍不愿回到外国文学组，又提出去写作组。他是一位全能型学者，外国文学从古希腊到苏联文学，现代文学从五四到抗战，都能从头讲到尾，样样都拿得起来，可以独挡一面。就连写作，他也曾出过《写作初步》《现代书信作法》《文学写作基础》等专门的著作。郑奠请孙席珍来杭大任教时，现代文学、外国文学、文学理论他都是驾轻就熟。只有从文学理论转美学，孙席珍说，至少要给他一年的备课时间。孙席珍在杭大中文系开过的课，几乎占所有课程的一半。担任过杭大副校长的林淡秋曾说，杭大依靠十三个半教授作为台柱，其中三位出在中文系，是各系科人数最多的。夏承焘、姜亮夫、孙席珍鼎足而立。
孙席珍在杭大讲授文学课程，是采用马克思主义文艺观点来分析、研究文学问题的第一人。他是左翼作家，又是革命者，早年在北大读书时读的就是哲学系。马克思、列宁的哲学是他的自觉选择。这一哲学高度，使得他格外关注文学思潮演进背后的社会规律。他特别注意社会主义阵营国家的文学，《东欧文学史》是解放后的第一部。在他编写过的各国文学史中，《朝鲜文学史》《蒙古文学史》等这些小国的文学史也被囊括进来。后来，左倾思潮愈演愈烈，高校无论文理专业都要学习马列著作。老教授们都不会讲，只有孙席珍能承担，讲的还是最难的恩格斯的《路德维希·费尔巴哈和德国古典哲学的终结》。这部对马克思主义哲学基本原理进行全面梳理、总结和发展的著作，是整个马克思主义科学世界观和方法论的高度概括。 华宇清教授回忆，孙先生的教学方法也很特别。不同时代的学生都说课上得非常幽默有趣，因而一上大课总是有从外语、历史、政治、教育等系所来的旁听者。顾志兴教授说，教改时，他们做学生的请孙先生到寝室，表面是批判教学，实则被他的讲述吸引，开小灶课堂。陈坚师说，孙先生博闻强记，上课都不带备课本，常常是一个火柴盒子、一张香烟纸的背后列一下简短的提纲，就可以滔滔不绝地讲下去，看似轻松潇洒，其实背后花的功夫更深。孙席珍备课时都是一个作家一个练习本，各类资料、相关论述及思考不断往上添加，有时候，单一位重要的作家就会列上十几本练习本。而他的好记性，也是因为读书极多锻炼出来的。孙席珍之子小昭至今都记得父亲为了训练他的记忆力，让他背《辞海》，又拿起自己服用心脏病药的瓶子，让小昭背药瓶上的批号。
孙席珍虽不下棋打牌，但情趣很广。他喜欢木本的如桂花、腊梅等长满庭院，从吴山花市买回来的花，都特意将盆打破，重新栽种在地上。闲暇时，他与中文系的驾公和宛春先生、外语系的北大老学长郭智石先生、体育系的留洋教授李昭伟先生等人，出行于安静僻远的地方，如九溪、云栖、西溪等处。生活中的孙席珍不喜大鱼大肉，炸点花生米炒点紫大头菜豆腐干丝，便可佐酒下菜。小昭回忆，父亲喜欢音乐，谁也想不到他最爱哼吟的歌是法文的《国际歌》《马赛曲》，其次是前苏联的《祖国进行曲》以及电影《攻克柏林》插曲《可喜的一天》等。抗战时期，孙席珍写过许多《祖国文化进行曲》这样的宣传歌曲。这些激昂感人的旋律，在孙席珍看来，既是歌曲，更是诗。他在讲授散文写作时，对那些抒怀记事的小散文颇为不屑，而对雨果谴责英法侵略者掠夺圆明园的《致巴特勒上尉的信》、列宁的《欧仁·鲍狄埃》、季米特洛夫的《控诉法西斯—在莱比锡审判上的辩护词》这些理性与激情并重的政论文情有独钟，认为那才是有所为的文学。□
（本文照片由袁建平提供）
Sun Xizhen: Author Professor
By Wang Shu
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth and last of the series of Virtue and Academic Virtuosity of Confucian Masters in Hangzhou University. Cultural Dialogue published two excerpts of the professor’s biography in the May and July issues of 2012, respectively entitled “A Teenage Poet Praised by Lu Xun” and “Poet-Turned Soldier in North Expedition.” This feature will focus on his teaching career and his academic accomplishment at Hangzhou University.
No professor in the history of Hangzhou University has a more storied life than Professor Sun Xizhen (1906-1984) did. Sun Xizhen’s arrival in early September 1950 was sensational on the campus of Zhejiang University (at that time, this campus was part of Zhejiang University. In 1952, it was converted to Zhejiang Normal University, and in 1958, it became Hangzhou University).
Zheng Dian, the dean of the Chinese Department, informed his secretary that a professor surnamed Sun would come soon one day shortly after the new semester started in September 1950. On a rainy afternoon a few days later, Professor Sun stepped into the department office. He was dressed meticulously in a western suit, all the hair in place and wearing glasses.
The professor himself rarely mentioned his past. He was on loan from Nanjing University. When universities and colleges on the mainland underwent a national reorganization, Sun stayed in Hangzhou.
Sun’s arrival was sensational not merely because of his legendary life in the 1920s and 1930s but also because of his prominent scholarship in modern and foreign literature. The Chinese Department of Zhejiang University at that time had plenty professors of ancient classics, but there was no professor of modern literature and foreign literature. The three professors who taught modern literature had left. Sun’s arrival on the campus filled the gap of the Chinese Department. Sun was fully qualified. Sun began to publish in 1922 when he came as a student to Beijing University. After the North Expedition, he published war novels. He also wrote a few novels about rural people, making him standing out in this field in the Northern League of Left-Wing Authors. In short, he was part of the modern Chinese literature when it was in full swing in the early 20th century.
Moreover, he taught western literature at universities in the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, his published research results included “Contemporary Trends of Thought in Literature and Art” and “A Study of British Literature”, which are considered pioneering in the respective fields in China. After leaving the North Expedition, Sun wrote four biographical books on Sinclair, Maupassant, Shelley, and Gorki, and translated East Indian Stories into Chinese.
After taking the teaching position at Zhejiang University, Sun as an authority on foreign literature participated in national seminars on foreign literature organized by the Ministry of Higher Education. In conjunction with other professor, Sun formulated a teaching synopsis s. He contributed to the establishment of a system for teaching foreign literatures in universities and colleges: four-year college students of Chinese major would study foreign literatures for two years starting in the third year, with two semesters for western literatures, one semester for Soviet and Eastern European literatures and one semester for oriental literatures. This system was later adopted across the mainland. When professors in China joined hands in writing textbooks, Sun was commissioned to translate “A History of Ancient Greek Literature” by Gilbert Murray (1866-1957). Sun and two teachers from the Foreign Languages Department translated the book. This book is a must for students who study foreign literatures.
Professor Sun Xizhen single-handedly authored a series of textbooks and lecture materials for students of Hangzhou University, covering almost all the fields of foreign literatures and including more than 10 histories of foreign literatures. A History of Western European Literatures was published by a publishing house in Shanghai. Others were published as textbooks by the university’s press and circulated to other universities and colleges. The manuscripts of these textbooks were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Only A History of Eastern European Literatures survived.
In the early years of his teaching career in Hangzhou University, Sun taught modern literature and foreign literature. Later he focused on foreign literature. After the Cultural Revolution, he gave up teaching foreign literature and turned his attention to creative writing. Lin Tanqiu, vice president of Hangzhou University, once commented that Hangzhou University had 13.5 professors as academic pillars of the university and the Chinese Department had three professors: Xia Chengtao, Jiang Liangfu and Sun Xizhen.
Sun Xizhen was more than a pioneer in teaching modern literature and foreign literature at Hangzhou University. He was also the first at Hangzhou University that used Marxist viewpoints to analyze literature issues. He was able to do so largely because he had majored in philosopher in Beijing University and he had been a left-wing writer and revolutionary in his younger years. The background and experience enabled him to look into deep causes that drove the trends of thought in literature and art.
Students loved his lectures. More often than not, his lectures attracted students from other departments: philosophy, history, politics and education. In classroom, he spoke eloquently and cited anecdotes and examples without referring to any notebook. He did not bring any notebook to classroom. He used a brief guideline written on a matchbox or a cigarette pack. He was a professor who did homework most diligently. He had special notebooks on individual authors. In a notebook, he would jot down all the important information about an author’s life and work and academic significance. Then he would add his thought and notes. The number of notebooks on an author varied, the largest number being more than ten.
Though Hangzhou University merged into Zhejiang University in 1998, Professor Sun Xizhen is a brilliant chapter in the history of Hangzhou University. He will be forever remembered as a poet, a soldier, a revolutionary, a scholar, a professor who established single-handedly the education of modern literature and foreign literature at Hangzhou University. □
1950年9月开学初，在浙江大学中文系担任助教兼秘书的王荣初听系主任郑奠先生说，有一位孙先生孙教授要来。过了两三天，一个下午，孙席珍冒着大雨，来到系办公室。他皮肤白净，瘦瘦的脸，戴着一副圆框近视眼镜，西装笔挺整洁，头发纹丝不乱，整个人看起来又干净又精神。对于自己的过去，孙席珍却绝少提起。郑奠先生慕名从南京大学借调来了孙席珍。接下来1952年院系调整，孙席珍被借而不还，从此在杭大安定下来。
孙席珍的到来，颇引起了一番轰动。在当时的浙大中文系，教授古典文学的人才济济，甚至可说是颇为富裕。但教授现代文学、外国文学的人却寥寥可数。孙福熙、许钦文、王西彦都曾在这里教过现代文学，却因为各种原因先后离去。孙席珍之教授现代文学，是有其特殊性的。他从1922年求学北大起就开始发表诗作及小说，被鲁迅先生等前辈称誉为“诗孩”“京华才子”，北伐之后又成为著名的“战争小说家”，同期的“新乡土小说”更成为北方左联唯一的扛鼎之作。这位现代文学亲历者，讲授现代文学，自然如数家珍。更何况，他上世纪30年代初便在高校任教西洋文学，有着深厚的理论修养，曾编写过《近代文艺思潮》《英国文学研究》等专著。孙席珍对中西文艺思潮的对比、参鉴有着独到的心得。因此，他对现代文学的研究，不仅仅局限于对几位文坛前辈的往事回忆、文坛史料的披露揭发，或是单篇作品的考订解读，更能从思潮、流派的角度，梳理比较，所论常常一言触的，鞭辟入里。他晚年写作的《关于中国现代文学思潮流派问题》一文分别从规律问题、主流问题、思潮与作家作品的结合、文艺批评、资料的掌握运用鉴别问题以及人的问题着手，主张辩证看待、精细研究，以发展的眼光、批判的眼光做研究，实为确论，曾为《新华文摘》全文转载。
至于外国文学，更是孙席珍的老本行。从北伐战争的战场退下来后，孙席珍在两年不到的时间里，就编译了《辛克莱评传》《莫泊桑生活》《雪莱生活》《高尔基评传》《东印度故事》五本书，可谓精力惊人。他对辛克莱、高尔基、莫泊桑等人做了深入而扎实的研究，考订年谱、著作编目等，几乎对每位传主都做了深入浅出的精当论述。后经周作人介绍，他辗转至北平女子师范大学、中国大学等处任教外国文学。他于其时出版的《近代文艺思潮》《英国文学研究》等论著、译著都是外国文学研究界的开山之作。孙席珍对英国文学研究尤为擅长，可惜当时所著《英国浪漫诗人》《外国文学漫谈》《战争文学论》《欧洲文学史》《文学概论》许多都毁于战火，或已散佚。特别是《近代文艺思潮》，这是中国第一部系统研究外国近代文学思潮的专著。整本书不到10万字，薄薄的一本，举要钩元，抉择有度，可以提纲挈领地把握近代以来的文学思潮发展进程，并且还是第一部囊括苏联社会主义文学的论著。像孙席珍这样，早在上世纪30年代就能自觉地从马克思主义文艺理论出发，从社会背景入手梳理文艺思潮的发展脉络，可以说是开辟了一条研究西方文艺思潮的正确道路。
到杭大任教后，孙席珍多次参加了高教部组织的外国文学教学研讨会，与罗念生、商承祖等一起，制订教学大纲。孙席珍以广阔的理论视野，比照轻重主次，创制确立了外国文学课程方案体系。自本科三年级起共习两年：两个学期教授西方文学，一学期讲授苏联与东欧文学，一学期讲授东方文学。这个方案体例后来推广到全国。在分头编写教材时，孙席珍承担了全世界公认为最难的古希腊文学史。由于中国暂时还没有能力独立编写，教育部便委托孙席珍翻译吉尔伯特·默雷的《古希腊文学史》。后来此书由上海译文社出版，孙席珍与两位外语系教师一同翻译完成。这本书至今依然是外国文学研习者的必读书目。
在杭大，孙席珍独立编写了大量的教材讲义，内容几乎包括了外国文学的全部领域。其中，《西欧文学史》三易其稿，曾拟公开发行，《日本文学史》《印度文学史》《东欧文学史》均属于填补空白的著作。这些教材数易其稿，虽仅由杭大内部印行(大学内部印行出版教材是民国时的旧例，一般都可视为专著研究成果)，但交流于各院校，反响甚巨。但“文革”抄家，这十余部本拟正式出版的文学史，除《东欧文学史》外竟毁于一旦!
孙席珍初来杭大，同时承担现代文学与外国文学，后外国文学课程加重，他便专攻外国文学。“文革”结束后，由于人事纠葛，孙席珍不愿回到外国文学组，又提出去写作组。他是一位全能型学者，外国文学从古希腊到苏联文学，现代文学从五四到抗战，都能从头讲到尾，样样都拿得起来，可以独挡一面。就连写作，他也曾出过《写作初步》《现代书信作法》《文学写作基础》等专门的著作。郑奠请孙席珍来杭大任教时，现代文学、外国文学、文学理论他都是驾轻就熟。只有从文学理论转美学，孙席珍说，至少要给他一年的备课时间。孙席珍在杭大中文系开过的课，几乎占所有课程的一半。担任过杭大副校长的林淡秋曾说，杭大依靠十三个半教授作为台柱，其中三位出在中文系，是各系科人数最多的。夏承焘、姜亮夫、孙席珍鼎足而立。
孙席珍在杭大讲授文学课程，是采用马克思主义文艺观点来分析、研究文学问题的第一人。他是左翼作家，又是革命者，早年在北大读书时读的就是哲学系。马克思、列宁的哲学是他的自觉选择。这一哲学高度，使得他格外关注文学思潮演进背后的社会规律。他特别注意社会主义阵营国家的文学，《东欧文学史》是解放后的第一部。在他编写过的各国文学史中，《朝鲜文学史》《蒙古文学史》等这些小国的文学史也被囊括进来。后来，左倾思潮愈演愈烈，高校无论文理专业都要学习马列著作。老教授们都不会讲，只有孙席珍能承担，讲的还是最难的恩格斯的《路德维希·费尔巴哈和德国古典哲学的终结》。这部对马克思主义哲学基本原理进行全面梳理、总结和发展的著作，是整个马克思主义科学世界观和方法论的高度概括。 华宇清教授回忆，孙先生的教学方法也很特别。不同时代的学生都说课上得非常幽默有趣，因而一上大课总是有从外语、历史、政治、教育等系所来的旁听者。顾志兴教授说，教改时，他们做学生的请孙先生到寝室，表面是批判教学，实则被他的讲述吸引，开小灶课堂。陈坚师说，孙先生博闻强记，上课都不带备课本，常常是一个火柴盒子、一张香烟纸的背后列一下简短的提纲，就可以滔滔不绝地讲下去，看似轻松潇洒，其实背后花的功夫更深。孙席珍备课时都是一个作家一个练习本，各类资料、相关论述及思考不断往上添加，有时候，单一位重要的作家就会列上十几本练习本。而他的好记性，也是因为读书极多锻炼出来的。孙席珍之子小昭至今都记得父亲为了训练他的记忆力，让他背《辞海》，又拿起自己服用心脏病药的瓶子，让小昭背药瓶上的批号。
孙席珍虽不下棋打牌，但情趣很广。他喜欢木本的如桂花、腊梅等长满庭院，从吴山花市买回来的花，都特意将盆打破，重新栽种在地上。闲暇时，他与中文系的驾公和宛春先生、外语系的北大老学长郭智石先生、体育系的留洋教授李昭伟先生等人，出行于安静僻远的地方，如九溪、云栖、西溪等处。生活中的孙席珍不喜大鱼大肉，炸点花生米炒点紫大头菜豆腐干丝，便可佐酒下菜。小昭回忆，父亲喜欢音乐，谁也想不到他最爱哼吟的歌是法文的《国际歌》《马赛曲》，其次是前苏联的《祖国进行曲》以及电影《攻克柏林》插曲《可喜的一天》等。抗战时期，孙席珍写过许多《祖国文化进行曲》这样的宣传歌曲。这些激昂感人的旋律，在孙席珍看来，既是歌曲，更是诗。他在讲授散文写作时，对那些抒怀记事的小散文颇为不屑，而对雨果谴责英法侵略者掠夺圆明园的《致巴特勒上尉的信》、列宁的《欧仁·鲍狄埃》、季米特洛夫的《控诉法西斯—在莱比锡审判上的辩护词》这些理性与激情并重的政论文情有独钟，认为那才是有所为的文学。□
（本文照片由袁建平提供）
Sun Xizhen: Author Professor
By Wang Shu
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth and last of the series of Virtue and Academic Virtuosity of Confucian Masters in Hangzhou University. Cultural Dialogue published two excerpts of the professor’s biography in the May and July issues of 2012, respectively entitled “A Teenage Poet Praised by Lu Xun” and “Poet-Turned Soldier in North Expedition.” This feature will focus on his teaching career and his academic accomplishment at Hangzhou University.
No professor in the history of Hangzhou University has a more storied life than Professor Sun Xizhen (1906-1984) did. Sun Xizhen’s arrival in early September 1950 was sensational on the campus of Zhejiang University (at that time, this campus was part of Zhejiang University. In 1952, it was converted to Zhejiang Normal University, and in 1958, it became Hangzhou University).
Zheng Dian, the dean of the Chinese Department, informed his secretary that a professor surnamed Sun would come soon one day shortly after the new semester started in September 1950. On a rainy afternoon a few days later, Professor Sun stepped into the department office. He was dressed meticulously in a western suit, all the hair in place and wearing glasses.
The professor himself rarely mentioned his past. He was on loan from Nanjing University. When universities and colleges on the mainland underwent a national reorganization, Sun stayed in Hangzhou.
Sun’s arrival was sensational not merely because of his legendary life in the 1920s and 1930s but also because of his prominent scholarship in modern and foreign literature. The Chinese Department of Zhejiang University at that time had plenty professors of ancient classics, but there was no professor of modern literature and foreign literature. The three professors who taught modern literature had left. Sun’s arrival on the campus filled the gap of the Chinese Department. Sun was fully qualified. Sun began to publish in 1922 when he came as a student to Beijing University. After the North Expedition, he published war novels. He also wrote a few novels about rural people, making him standing out in this field in the Northern League of Left-Wing Authors. In short, he was part of the modern Chinese literature when it was in full swing in the early 20th century.
Moreover, he taught western literature at universities in the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, his published research results included “Contemporary Trends of Thought in Literature and Art” and “A Study of British Literature”, which are considered pioneering in the respective fields in China. After leaving the North Expedition, Sun wrote four biographical books on Sinclair, Maupassant, Shelley, and Gorki, and translated East Indian Stories into Chinese.
After taking the teaching position at Zhejiang University, Sun as an authority on foreign literature participated in national seminars on foreign literature organized by the Ministry of Higher Education. In conjunction with other professor, Sun formulated a teaching synopsis s. He contributed to the establishment of a system for teaching foreign literatures in universities and colleges: four-year college students of Chinese major would study foreign literatures for two years starting in the third year, with two semesters for western literatures, one semester for Soviet and Eastern European literatures and one semester for oriental literatures. This system was later adopted across the mainland. When professors in China joined hands in writing textbooks, Sun was commissioned to translate “A History of Ancient Greek Literature” by Gilbert Murray (1866-1957). Sun and two teachers from the Foreign Languages Department translated the book. This book is a must for students who study foreign literatures.
Professor Sun Xizhen single-handedly authored a series of textbooks and lecture materials for students of Hangzhou University, covering almost all the fields of foreign literatures and including more than 10 histories of foreign literatures. A History of Western European Literatures was published by a publishing house in Shanghai. Others were published as textbooks by the university’s press and circulated to other universities and colleges. The manuscripts of these textbooks were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Only A History of Eastern European Literatures survived.
In the early years of his teaching career in Hangzhou University, Sun taught modern literature and foreign literature. Later he focused on foreign literature. After the Cultural Revolution, he gave up teaching foreign literature and turned his attention to creative writing. Lin Tanqiu, vice president of Hangzhou University, once commented that Hangzhou University had 13.5 professors as academic pillars of the university and the Chinese Department had three professors: Xia Chengtao, Jiang Liangfu and Sun Xizhen.
Sun Xizhen was more than a pioneer in teaching modern literature and foreign literature at Hangzhou University. He was also the first at Hangzhou University that used Marxist viewpoints to analyze literature issues. He was able to do so largely because he had majored in philosopher in Beijing University and he had been a left-wing writer and revolutionary in his younger years. The background and experience enabled him to look into deep causes that drove the trends of thought in literature and art.
Students loved his lectures. More often than not, his lectures attracted students from other departments: philosophy, history, politics and education. In classroom, he spoke eloquently and cited anecdotes and examples without referring to any notebook. He did not bring any notebook to classroom. He used a brief guideline written on a matchbox or a cigarette pack. He was a professor who did homework most diligently. He had special notebooks on individual authors. In a notebook, he would jot down all the important information about an author’s life and work and academic significance. Then he would add his thought and notes. The number of notebooks on an author varied, the largest number being more than ten.
Though Hangzhou University merged into Zhejiang University in 1998, Professor Sun Xizhen is a brilliant chapter in the history of Hangzhou University. He will be forever remembered as a poet, a soldier, a revolutionary, a scholar, a professor who established single-handedly the education of modern literature and foreign literature at Hangzhou University. □