Subjectivity and realism in modern Chinese fiction : Hu Feng and Lu Ling

"The questions of subjectivity and the literary style of realism, as manifested in Hu Feng's theoretical writings and Lu Ling's fictional writings, occupy a unique position in modern China. By looking more closely into the theoretical and fictional texts and the social-historical subtext, and through a re-examination of the issue of subjectivity and individualism, this book argues that individualism should not be treated as an ahistorical value-system, but understood within changing historical contexts; subjectivity should not be treated as an issue of personal choice, but as class-based and derived from collective community. To differentiate different subjectivities and the diversified foci of individualism in differing historical periods, Xiaoping Wang finds we need to explore the intellectuals' cultural-political strategy by situating them in the particular historical conjuncture and in the particular cultural fields. With this hermeneutical practice, the politics of recognition and the politics of style are mutually illuminated." Cover Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Introduction SOCIAL-POLITICAL SITUATION ANDTHE CHANGING CULTURAL FIELD INTELLECTUAL DEBATES OF CULTURAL PRODUCTION STUDIES OF HU FENG’S THEORY ANDLU LING’S FICTIONAL WRITING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ANDSTRUCTURAL OUTLINE NOTES REFERENCES Part I: HU FENG’S NOTION OF“SUBJECTIVE FIGHTING SPIRIT” Chapter 1: Cultural Capital, Hegemony,and the Zeitgeist AMASSING CULTURAL CAPITAL ANDFIGHTING FOR CULTURAL LEADERSHIP REALISM IN CRISIS? FOUR STAGES OF CREATION “WEAPON OF THOUGHTS” IN“PSYCHOLOGICAL STRUGGLE” WHAT IS “REALISM” AND AHUMANISTIC DISCOURSE TYPICALITY AND HISTORICAL IMPERATIVE “ZEITGEIST” AND “HISTORICAL TRUTH” CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 2: Intellectuals’ Politics and aBourgeois Subjectivity FUNCTION OF CRITICAL REALISMIN THE NEW EPOCH “REVOLUTIONARY MIDDLE CLASS” OR“BOURGEOIS CLASS” AS THE LEADER “DUAL PERSONALITY” OF MODERNCHINESE INTELLECTUALS TO BUILD A BOURGEOIS SUBJECTIVITYAND CIVIL SOCIETY? CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Part II: SUBJECTIVITY IN LULING’S FICTION Chapter 3: Subjectivity in Loss: Disintegration of TraditionalFamily and Emergence of Desire LU LING AS A SECOND-GENERATIONLEFT-WING WRITER A FAMILY CHRONICLE AS THENATIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY ADULTERY AS THE TOKEN OF BETRAYAL A FEMININE SUBJECTIVITY?FEMININITY AND SEXUALITY PRIMITIVE UNCONSCIOUSNESSAND POLITICAL ANXIETIES THE REVOLTS AGAINST PATRIARCHALRULE AND MORALISTIC NIHILISM CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 4: Subjectivity in Search of“Bildungsroman” of ModernChinese Intellectuals THE FORMATION OF MORAL RELATIVISM THE SELF-IMAGE AS A FALSE,FICTIONAL IMAGINARY ENTERING THE WILDERNESS ANDEMBRACING AMORALITY “THE WILD AMBITION OFMANIPULATING THE HUMANITY” LUMPEN-PROLETARIAT AS HERO AND “THE PEOPLE” WHO ARE “THE PEOPLE”? CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 5: Subjectivity in Vain: A Fable of the Failure ofBourgeois Social Reforms THE DEMISE OF AN UNENLIGHTENEDICONOCLAST AND IMMATURE SUBJECT INCAPABILITY OF ARTICULATINGTHEORY AND PRAXIS A FABLE OF THE JOURNEY OF MODERNCHINESE INTELLECTUALS A FABLE OF THE FAILURE OF VARIOUSBOURGEOIS SOCIAL REFORMS CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 6: Intellectuals in Predicament: Other Stories SOCIAL WEAKLINGS’ SELFDELUSIONBY FALSE HEROISM REBELLIONS OF SOCIAL PARIAHS ANDINCOMPETENT INTELLECTUALS CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Part III: THE PEOPLE ANDCLASS CONSCIOUSNESS Chapter 7: Politics of Recognitionand Politics of Style HEGEL’S ANALYSIS OF THE “PHENOMENOLOGYOF MIND” AND ITS CRITIQUE SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND THEPOLITICS OF RECOGNITION WEIZU AND STOICISM SHAOZU AND SCEPTISM CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 8: Self-Other Relationship andthe Other as the People CHUNZU AND UNHAPPY CONSCIOUSNESS THE OTHER AS THE PEOPLE NARRATIVE VOICE AS ALTER EGOOF THE CHARACTERS CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Chapter 9: Lu Ling’s Theory and His Fiction LU LING’S LITERARY VIEWS FROM THECULTURAL-POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE SIMILARITY AND DIFFERENCEBETWEEN LU LING AND HU FENG THE AUTHOR AS THE ALTER EGOOF THE CHARACTERS LU LING’S FICTION AS A FALSIFICATIONOF HU FENG’S THEORY CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES Conclusion Index About the Author "This book provides a reexamination of the debates between Hu Feng, Lu Ling, and other Chinese left-wing theorists from a cultural-political perspective. The author argues that individualism should be understood within changing historical contexts and that subjectivity should be treated as class-based and derived from collective community"-- Provided by publisher