The Diary of A Madman (Kuangren r/j/), Lu Xun's first well-known short stoW and the alleged first modem short stow in vernacular Chinese, is famous for its first-person narrative by an intellectual that is sufferin...The Diary of A Madman (Kuangren r/j/), Lu Xun's first well-known short stoW and the alleged first modem short stow in vernacular Chinese, is famous for its first-person narrative by an intellectual that is suffering from a persecution complex. As acknowledged by Lu Xun himself and argued by most scholars, this short stoW was influenced by Gogol's homonymic short stow, but has developed more profound melancholy and indignation. However, as my paper demonstrates, this perspective neglects the role of Japan as an intermediary in the transculturation of madness. First, Lu Xun's initial encounter with Gogol's Diary of A Madman was through his reading of Futabatei Shimei's translation in the Japanese magazine Ky6mi. Second, the framed narrative and contrasting styles of Lu Xun's short stow, which are not features of Gogol's, might also be due to the inspiration from the Japanese genbun itchi movement in the Meiji period. Third, and most importantly, cannibalism, a major theme in Lu Xun's Diary of A Madman, was arguably shaped by the heated discussion in Japan on national character and cannibalism. My paper will trace the double origin of the depiction of madness and cannibalism in Lu Xun's work and illustrate the importance of the role of Japan in the transculturation of the stow of a madman.展开更多
A subtle aspect of Lu Xun's writing, running through several of his works of fiction, is his animalistic portrayal of some of his most well-known characters. Scraping away their humanity as he writes, Lu Xun depicts ...A subtle aspect of Lu Xun's writing, running through several of his works of fiction, is his animalistic portrayal of some of his most well-known characters. Scraping away their humanity as he writes, Lu Xun depicts Kong Yiji, Xianglin Sao, and the infamous Madman crawling on their hands and knees, working like draught animals, and abandoning all rational thought. In short, all three end up occupying an ambiguous space between the realms of human and animal. This paper attempts to examine how Lu Xun's description and situation of these characters suggests, aside from the standard agendas of May Fourth writing in general, a certain, shared metaphysical conundrum. Drawing on the work of Giorgio Agamben to take the hiatus between human and animal as an occasion for ontological possibility, I will investigate how the dehumanized portrayal of these characters situates them at the threshold of a new becoming: one which has not yet been realized, but which is also rendered impossible either through the character's death or return to health. Examining Lu Xun's works in this way not only recognizes his major emphasis on social critique, but suggests both that his thought on Chinese society pierces through to the level of metaphysical inquiry, and that the relationship between human and animal marks a productive entry point for this sort of questioning.展开更多
Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun's writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Four...Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun's writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Fourth Movement with which Lu Xun is strongly associated. This article examines the ways in which several of Lu Xun's creative writings and memoirs depict memory and its transmission. I argue that, 1) These texts suggest the importance of objects as mnemonic devices that aid the transmission of memory, 2) The agency of the receiver is key in interpreting these texts and in transmitting them onward, and 3) That Lu Xun posits the texts he creates as such mnemonic objects that serve to transmit his interpretation of cultural and personal memory to his readers. Lu Xun's texts thus implicate the reader in the author's project of transmitting onward his reinterpretation of the past in the hope of redeeming China. Examining these mechanisms of memory transmission I conclude that for Lu Xun redemption lies not in a transcendent future but in reexamining the past.展开更多
Chinua Achebe has been called "the father of modern African writing" and most of his novels are created respecting Nigeria people's lives and culture.In his short story The Madman,Achebe presents us a vi...Chinua Achebe has been called "the father of modern African writing" and most of his novels are created respecting Nigeria people's lives and culture.In his short story The Madman,Achebe presents us a vivid experience of a person's fortune reversal from sanity to "madness" aiming to tell us the dilemma of African culture as well as the uncertainty of their national identity caused by both the colonists' invasion and the weakness of African values.展开更多
文摘The Diary of A Madman (Kuangren r/j/), Lu Xun's first well-known short stoW and the alleged first modem short stow in vernacular Chinese, is famous for its first-person narrative by an intellectual that is suffering from a persecution complex. As acknowledged by Lu Xun himself and argued by most scholars, this short stoW was influenced by Gogol's homonymic short stow, but has developed more profound melancholy and indignation. However, as my paper demonstrates, this perspective neglects the role of Japan as an intermediary in the transculturation of madness. First, Lu Xun's initial encounter with Gogol's Diary of A Madman was through his reading of Futabatei Shimei's translation in the Japanese magazine Ky6mi. Second, the framed narrative and contrasting styles of Lu Xun's short stow, which are not features of Gogol's, might also be due to the inspiration from the Japanese genbun itchi movement in the Meiji period. Third, and most importantly, cannibalism, a major theme in Lu Xun's Diary of A Madman, was arguably shaped by the heated discussion in Japan on national character and cannibalism. My paper will trace the double origin of the depiction of madness and cannibalism in Lu Xun's work and illustrate the importance of the role of Japan in the transculturation of the stow of a madman.
文摘A subtle aspect of Lu Xun's writing, running through several of his works of fiction, is his animalistic portrayal of some of his most well-known characters. Scraping away their humanity as he writes, Lu Xun depicts Kong Yiji, Xianglin Sao, and the infamous Madman crawling on their hands and knees, working like draught animals, and abandoning all rational thought. In short, all three end up occupying an ambiguous space between the realms of human and animal. This paper attempts to examine how Lu Xun's description and situation of these characters suggests, aside from the standard agendas of May Fourth writing in general, a certain, shared metaphysical conundrum. Drawing on the work of Giorgio Agamben to take the hiatus between human and animal as an occasion for ontological possibility, I will investigate how the dehumanized portrayal of these characters situates them at the threshold of a new becoming: one which has not yet been realized, but which is also rendered impossible either through the character's death or return to health. Examining Lu Xun's works in this way not only recognizes his major emphasis on social critique, but suggests both that his thought on Chinese society pierces through to the level of metaphysical inquiry, and that the relationship between human and animal marks a productive entry point for this sort of questioning.
文摘Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun's writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Fourth Movement with which Lu Xun is strongly associated. This article examines the ways in which several of Lu Xun's creative writings and memoirs depict memory and its transmission. I argue that, 1) These texts suggest the importance of objects as mnemonic devices that aid the transmission of memory, 2) The agency of the receiver is key in interpreting these texts and in transmitting them onward, and 3) That Lu Xun posits the texts he creates as such mnemonic objects that serve to transmit his interpretation of cultural and personal memory to his readers. Lu Xun's texts thus implicate the reader in the author's project of transmitting onward his reinterpretation of the past in the hope of redeeming China. Examining these mechanisms of memory transmission I conclude that for Lu Xun redemption lies not in a transcendent future but in reexamining the past.
文摘Chinua Achebe has been called "the father of modern African writing" and most of his novels are created respecting Nigeria people's lives and culture.In his short story The Madman,Achebe presents us a vivid experience of a person's fortune reversal from sanity to "madness" aiming to tell us the dilemma of African culture as well as the uncertainty of their national identity caused by both the colonists' invasion and the weakness of African values.