Configurations of the Individual in Modern Chinese Literature

This book aims to demonstrate the multiplicity of configurations of the individual in modern Chinese literature through analyzing several classic texts written by Zhou Zuoren, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Mu Shiying. It attempts to refresh our understanding of the history of modern Chinese literature and indirectly responds to the controversial issue of "individual rights" (or "human rights") in present-day China, showing that in modern Chinese literature, various configurations of the individual imply political possibilities that are not only irreconcilable with each other, but irreducible to the determination of the modern discourse of "individualism" introduced by the West. A groundbreaking work, it will give valuable context to political scientists and other scholars seeking to understand what "China" means in the 21st century. Qin Wang received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from New York University, USA. He is the translator of the Chinese editions of Jacques Derrida's Donner la mort and La bête et le souverain, Volume 1, Richard Bernstein's Radical Evil, Jacques Lezra's Wild Materialism, and David Harvey's A Brief History of Neoliberalism This book aims to demonstrate the multiplicity of configurations of the individual in modern Chinese literature through analyzing several classic texts written by Zhou Zuoren, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Mu Shiying. It attempts to refresh our understanding of the history of modern Chinese literature and indirectly responds to the controversial issue of "individual rights" (or "human rights") in present-day China, showing that in modern Chinese literature, various configurations of the individual imply political possibilities that are not only irreconcilable with each other, but irreducible to the determination of the modern discourse of "individualism" introduced by the West. A groundbreaking work, it will give valuable context to political scientists and other scholars seeking to understand what "China" means in the 21st century. Qin Wang received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from New York University, USA. He is the translator of the Chinese editions of Jacques Derrida's Donner la mort and La bête et le souverain, Volume 1, Richard Bernstein's Radical Evil, Jacques Lezra's Wild Materialism, and David Harvey's A Brief History of Neoliberalism Preface 5 Acknowledgements 9 Contents 10 Chapter 1 Introduction: Translating the Individual—Why Literature Matters 11 I 11 II 17 III 33 IV 42 V 61 Chapter 2 Literary Evolutionism and Its Discontents: Between Zhou Zuoren and Lu Xun 67 I 67 II 94 III 110 Chapter 3 Individuality Contra “Homo Economicus”: A Reading of Lao She’s Camel-Xiangzi 125 I 127 II 142 III 157 IV 163 V 172 VI 175 Chapter 4 Touch, Body, and the New Perceptionism: Mu Shiying’s Case 177 I 178 II 192 III 209 IV 214 V 225 Chapter 5 Lu Xun’s “Ah Jin” and the Politics of Exemplarity 237 I 239 II 248 III 257 IV 282 V 288 Epilogue: Politics Aestheticized—Revisiting Mao Zedong’s “Talk at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art” 301 Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction: Translating the Individual—Why Literature Matters (Qin Wang)....Pages 1-56 Literary Evolutionism and Its Discontents: Between Zhou Zuoren and Lu Xun (Qin Wang)....Pages 57-114 Individuality Contra “Homo Economicus”: A Reading of Lao She’s Camel-Xiangzi (Qin Wang)....Pages 115-166 Touch, Body, and the New Perceptionism: Mu Shiying’s Case (Qin Wang)....Pages 167-226 Lu Xun’s “Ah Jin” and the Politics of Exemplarity (Qin Wang)....Pages 227-290 Back Matter ....Pages 291-300