Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references.The following thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides pertinent biographical information on Lin Yutang, Chinals "Yumo Da Shi" or Master of Humor. Chapter Two looks at the revolutionary ideologies sweeping pre-World War II China and the resultant effects on the Chinese social and literary culture. Chapter Three explains Lin's introduction of yumo (humor) and examines the different schools of essayists and the various literary publications seen in China at this time. Chapter Four is divided into eight sections with each section corresponding to approximately one year of Lin's contributions the China Critic magazine and specifically his "Little Critic" column. Chapter Five concludes the thesis by considering Lin's contributions as a social and literary critic and essayist