Chaviano＇s Fables of an Extraterrestrial Grandmother is a pioneering Cuban science fiction novel with four interconnected plots that manifest their separate worlds--the Havana of Ana, the protagonist writer, the Neol...Chaviano＇s Fables of an Extraterrestrial Grandmother is a pioneering Cuban science fiction novel with four interconnected plots that manifest their separate worlds--the Havana of Ana, the protagonist writer, the Neolithic Celtic world of Merlin and Stonehenge, Faidir, the planet of Ijj e and the winged psyches with three eyes, and Rybel, the world of Ana＇s character Arlena, the ＂jumen＂ on the run in an alien planet after being wrecked in a space ship---through Ana＇s writing. Ana uses mental exercises and automatic writing to temporarily regress to a pre-rational state of consciousness where these parallel universes interpenetrate and cross in the locus of her subconscious. Writing for her is a form of possession that withdraws her fi＇om her immediate reality into a visionary state resembling that of a shaman. She is a writer being invented and written by her own characters. Her stories are not fictions, but already existing realities, and she is a channel by which they are able to manifest their existence through her writing. This science fiction vision of worlds within worlds suggests another origin of science fiction in the ancient literary genre of Menippean satire, a type of fiction that appeals to highly cosmopolitan, alienated readers who seek to renew contact with the sources of consciousness from which technological and social change have alienated them.展开更多
Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Archaeological research on the plateau during the past few decades has enormously improved our understanding of the topic and makes it possibl...Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Archaeological research on the plateau during the past few decades has enormously improved our understanding of the topic and makes it possible for us to consider the processes and mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the region. By reviewing the published archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau, we propose that the first people on the plateau initially spread into the He-Huang region from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and then moved to the low elevation Northeastern Tibetan Plateau and perhaps subsequently to the entire plateau. This process consisted of four stages.(1) During the climatic amelioration of the Last Deglacial period(15–11.6 ka BP), Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with a developed microlithic technology first spread into the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.(2) In the early-mid Holocene(11.6–6 ka BP), Epipaleolithic microlithic hunter-gatherers were widely distributed on the northeastern plateau and spread southwards to the interior plateau, possibly with millet agriculture developed in the neighboring low elevation regions.(3) In the mid-late Holocene(6–4 ka BP), Neolithic millet farmers spread into low elevation river valleys in the northeastern and southeastern plateau areas.(4) In the late Holocene(4–2.3 ka BP), Bronze Age barley and wheat farmers further settled on the high elevation regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially after 3.6 ka BP. Finally, we suggest that all of the reported Paleolithic sites earlier than the LGM on the Tibetan Plateau need further examination.展开更多
文摘Chaviano＇s Fables of an Extraterrestrial Grandmother is a pioneering Cuban science fiction novel with four interconnected plots that manifest their separate worlds--the Havana of Ana, the protagonist writer, the Neolithic Celtic world of Merlin and Stonehenge, Faidir, the planet of Ijj e and the winged psyches with three eyes, and Rybel, the world of Ana＇s character Arlena, the ＂jumen＂ on the run in an alien planet after being wrecked in a space ship---through Ana＇s writing. Ana uses mental exercises and automatic writing to temporarily regress to a pre-rational state of consciousness where these parallel universes interpenetrate and cross in the locus of her subconscious. Writing for her is a form of possession that withdraws her fi＇om her immediate reality into a visionary state resembling that of a shaman. She is a writer being invented and written by her own characters. Her stories are not fictions, but already existing realities, and she is a channel by which they are able to manifest their existence through her writing. This science fiction vision of worlds within worlds suggests another origin of science fiction in the ancient literary genre of Menippean satire, a type of fiction that appeals to highly cosmopolitan, alienated readers who seek to renew contact with the sources of consciousness from which technological and social change have alienated them.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41101087 & 41171168)the Project of Tracing Civilization Origin (Grant No. 2013BAK08B02)Primary Supports for Scientific Research of Lanzhou University (Grant Nos. LZUJBKY-2014-121, LZUJBKY-2016-159, LZUJBKY-2015-K09 & LZUJBKY-2014-120)
文摘Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Archaeological research on the plateau during the past few decades has enormously improved our understanding of the topic and makes it possible for us to consider the processes and mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the region. By reviewing the published archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau, we propose that the first people on the plateau initially spread into the He-Huang region from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and then moved to the low elevation Northeastern Tibetan Plateau and perhaps subsequently to the entire plateau. This process consisted of four stages.(1) During the climatic amelioration of the Last Deglacial period(15–11.6 ka BP), Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with a developed microlithic technology first spread into the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.(2) In the early-mid Holocene(11.6–6 ka BP), Epipaleolithic microlithic hunter-gatherers were widely distributed on the northeastern plateau and spread southwards to the interior plateau, possibly with millet agriculture developed in the neighboring low elevation regions.(3) In the mid-late Holocene(6–4 ka BP), Neolithic millet farmers spread into low elevation river valleys in the northeastern and southeastern plateau areas.(4) In the late Holocene(4–2.3 ka BP), Bronze Age barley and wheat farmers further settled on the high elevation regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially after 3.6 ka BP. Finally, we suggest that all of the reported Paleolithic sites earlier than the LGM on the Tibetan Plateau need further examination.
