Father of modern Chinese literature,Lu Xun,is the first writer to use the vernacular to write fiction.In his short stories,he exposes the crimes of feudalism and describes the plight of the peasants,who have been econ...Father of modern Chinese literature,Lu Xun,is the first writer to use the vernacular to write fiction.In his short stories,he exposes the crimes of feudalism and describes the plight of the peasants,who have been economically exploited and spiritually enslaved.He also depicts the fate of the intellectuals who struggle in the intense social contradictions.His fiction has laid a solid foundation for the development of modern Chinese fiction.Lu Xun has created almost all the new forms for Chinese new literature,and enjoys the most prominent status in the Chinese literary development in the 20th century.His writings reflect the great achievements of the literary reform since the May Fourth Movement.展开更多
The fact that Lu Xun is no longer regarded as the most important Chinese writer of the 20th century raises many questions. Is there only one benchmark for good literature, or are there different norms？ To what extent...The fact that Lu Xun is no longer regarded as the most important Chinese writer of the 20th century raises many questions. Is there only one benchmark for good literature, or are there different norms？ To what extent are these norms dictated by the market？ Questions like these relate to the issue of evaluation. Is literature still evaluated according to the internationally recognized definition of ＂modernity＂ that prevailed before World War II, or is it unfair to judge contemporary writers according to standards that dominated before 19497 The reason why contemporary Chinese literature （after 1949） might sometimes seem somehow lacking in comparison with modern Chinese literature （1912-49） might be found in historical changes in the role of the narrator in the novel. Literature after 1949 often returns to the omnipresent narrator, whose comments can be taken for granted. But, in the works of Lu Xun, the reader is often confronted with a narrator who is not reliable. In this way, the literature becomes ambivalent, and it is precisely this ambivalence that makes the literature ＂modern,＂ as the reader has to decide which voice he or she is going to trust. It is also ambivalence which turns a narrating ＇T＇ into a fictional character, which cannot be equated with the （real） author.展开更多
文摘Father of modern Chinese literature,Lu Xun,is the first writer to use the vernacular to write fiction.In his short stories,he exposes the crimes of feudalism and describes the plight of the peasants,who have been economically exploited and spiritually enslaved.He also depicts the fate of the intellectuals who struggle in the intense social contradictions.His fiction has laid a solid foundation for the development of modern Chinese fiction.Lu Xun has created almost all the new forms for Chinese new literature,and enjoys the most prominent status in the Chinese literary development in the 20th century.His writings reflect the great achievements of the literary reform since the May Fourth Movement.
文摘The fact that Lu Xun is no longer regarded as the most important Chinese writer of the 20th century raises many questions. Is there only one benchmark for good literature, or are there different norms？ To what extent are these norms dictated by the market？ Questions like these relate to the issue of evaluation. Is literature still evaluated according to the internationally recognized definition of ＂modernity＂ that prevailed before World War II, or is it unfair to judge contemporary writers according to standards that dominated before 19497 The reason why contemporary Chinese literature （after 1949） might sometimes seem somehow lacking in comparison with modern Chinese literature （1912-49） might be found in historical changes in the role of the narrator in the novel. Literature after 1949 often returns to the omnipresent narrator, whose comments can be taken for granted. But, in the works of Lu Xun, the reader is often confronted with a narrator who is not reliable. In this way, the literature becomes ambivalent, and it is precisely this ambivalence that makes the literature ＂modern,＂ as the reader has to decide which voice he or she is going to trust. It is also ambivalence which turns a narrating ＇T＇ into a fictional character, which cannot be equated with the （real） author.
