This book reconstructs Lu Xun’s literary theory and political position within its historical context. It considers the influence on Lu Xun of Leon Trotsky’s literary theory and Lu Xun's relationship with the Chinese Trotskyists and the Chinese Communist Party. It corrects errors and shortcomings in conventional studies on Lu Xun and shows how Lu Xun was used for political purposes by the Chinese Communists and Mao Zedong, beginning in the Yan’an years and culminating during the Cultural Revolution. It seeks to rescue Lu Xun from the distortion of his legacy by the Chinese Communist literary establishment, Mao Zedong, and Stalinism. .