2020 Vol. 3, No. 4

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Articles
Peking Opera The Orphan of Zhao and Beyond: A Study of the Chinese Ideal of Loyalty
ZHENG Guo-he
2020, 3(4): 605-635. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203401
Abstract:
It has often been proposed by Chinese scholars that the ideal of loyalty is drastically different in the cultures of Japan and China: while it is relative to the moral virtue of benevolence in China, it is absolute in Japan. This paper examines the validity of this proposal as applied to China. Starting from an analysis of a Peking Opera entitled The Orphan of Zhao, this research indicates that, while the proposal seems valid when applied to the 1959 opera, it collapses when we look beyond that play. Evidence from several sources, including historical records, and the evolving stage of The Orphan of Zhao, shows the proposal to be faulty. Indeed,the proposal is not only faulty, but also prevents us from understanding the dynamics underlying the complicated and often intense interactions of history,literature, and politics in modern China. The most serious problem of the proposal,however, is its advocacy of stereotypical views of Chinese and Japanese cultures reflected in its claim that the different Japanese and Chinese ideals of loyalty are inherent and timeless, existing mysteriously in the national characters of the two peoples. In conclusion, the proposal amounts to a chūgokujinron—a Chinese counterpart of nihonjinron—and must be treated as such.
[Abstract](112) [PDF 943KB](53)
Achilles and Socrates' Teaching
WEI Chao-yong
2020, 3(4): 636-650. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203402
Abstract:
Achilles,the hero of Homer’s epic,was always the model of city-state youth in the moral education of ancient Greece.But in Plato’s Republic,Socrates particularly criticizes Homer’s Achilles.The original human nature and erotic passion of Achilles is very disadvantageous to educate the guardians in Socrates’“beautiful city.”It has become the mission of Socrates’teaching to criticize Achilles’own“love”and advocate one’s love for“truth of being.”However,although Socrates fully demonstrated the construction of the“beautiful city”in words,he finally gave up the expectation of realizing it on the earth.This gesture also indicates that Socrates’philosophical transformation for Achilles,the hero of political life,could not be successful in the end.Socrates’philosophical criticism of Achilles reveals the tension between philosophical truth and political humanity,thus warning us from another level that we need to be alert to the great desire of philosophical truth for political life.
[Abstract](123) [PDF 902KB](65)
The Soul of All Time: Shakespeare and Us
ZHANG Pei
2020, 3(4): 651-662. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203403
Abstract:
Shakespeare composed his works in a particular moment of historical time, where we find all walks of people in different situations, but they were not written to endorse any particular historical era, social class, interest group or ideology. As “the soul of all time”(Ben Jonson), Shakespeare is interested in presenting universal human nature in specific space-time—so it is with his political “ history plays” and Roman plays. To regard his works as a dramatic mouthpiece, a literary endorsement or a secular theodicy is a serious misunderstanding of, even a blasphemy against, Shakespeare's importance. Literature is(and should be) comprehensive, sure enough, as it's always been. Also, it is not a mere “House Beautiful” or secret garden, but an established tradition that has its own right and property. Studying literature without paying sufficient attention to literature per se—language, text, interpretative tradition etc.—may get lost in the maze of “ intellectual history” and, as we have seen too many times in our history, lead to the dangerous complicity with and abuse of discourse-power.
[Abstract](154) [PDF 917KB](55)
The Dual Emerson: Poetical Writing and Philosophical Thinking
YU Jing-yuan
2020, 3(4): 663-681. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203404
Abstract:
Emerson is many things to readers: a lecturer, an essayist, a philosopher, a thinker, a poet, and even a preacher. To assign Emerson to a single category is neither possible nor necessary, for his writing characteristically traverses many categories and thus defies a single monolithic label. Versed both in Hellenism and Hebrew-Christian culture—with the former mainly pertaining to artistic beauty appealing to sensual satisfaction, and the latter to didactic moral teachings appealing to the soul—Emerson employs a Hellenistic style of writing that is poetical in expression and form, which requires a creative spirit that both perceives and expresses poetically. Poetic perception originates from the intuition and inspiration in the mind, and by the power of imagination, finally arrives at a vision of the truth. In the process of transference from vision to words, Emerson uses poetic expression, blending symbolic language and essay form to create an organic whole with grand ideas. Emerson also inherits the Christian tradition,which emphasizes a philosophical conception of moral teaching. He firmly believes that there is a just law upholding a harmonious universe, which he calls the Moral Law, and that each human being has the ability to intuit this Moral Law and act in harmony with it, which Emerson calls the Moral Nature or the Soul. In this essay, I will focus on these two sides of Emerson and, with the support of detailed analysis and interpretation of his dual characteristics, argue that these two sides do not counteract each other in his writings, but rather reinforce each other:poetical writing acts as the emotional dimension, affective and appealing to the emotions, while philosophical thinking acts as the rational dimension that is profound and thought-provoking to the mind. In this sense, Emerson is apt to be termed as a poetical philosopher.
[Abstract](145) [PDF 523KB](69)
The English Translation and Publication of Zheng Min's Poems in the World
LIU Yan
2020, 3(4): 682-700. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203405
Abstract:
Zheng Min is one of the poets of the “Nine Leaves Group.” She is a witness of one hundred years of modern Chinese poetry. As a poet who has participated in the two periods of poetry creation—in the 1940 s and the 1980s—Zheng Min is one of the contemporary Chinese writers who have received the most attention from the anglophone literary world. Since the 1960 s, her poetry has been translated and studied by scholars, translators, and sinologists at home and abroad. This article takes the English translation of Zheng Min's poetry as an example, and reviews the context of the translation, introduction, and evaluation of modern Chinese poetry abroad. It explores effective strategies for the translation,interpretation, and communication of modern Chinese poetry in the world.
[Abstract](263) [PDF 896KB](65)
A Comparative Study of the Modernization Process of Literary Theory in Twentieth-Century Vietnam and China
WU Yue-huan
2020, 3(4): 701-711. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203406
Abstract:
The twentieth century is an important stage in the development of Chinese and Vietnamese literature and literary theory. From the traditional oriental approach to literary theory, Chinese and Vietnamese literature has successfully completed a modern transformation by accepting Western literary theory and constantly localized innovation. These achievements, both in China and Vietnam,laid a solid foundation for the Chinese and Vietnamese literature to enter the modern era. This paper focuses on the core issues of Chinese and Vietnamese literary theory in the twentieth century, including the modern transformation and the acceptance and development of Marxist literary theory in China and Vietnam, and points out the similarities and differences in the form and historical evolution of Chinese and Vietnamese literary theories through comparative study, so as to come to a new understanding of the relationship between Chinese and Vietnamese literary theory and the national characteristics of literary theory from these two countries.
[Abstract](96) [PDF 699KB](54)
Reports
Opening Remarks by the Moderator
JI Jian-xun
2020, 3(4): 715-715.
Abstract:
[Abstract](110) [PDF 160KB](63)
Highlights and Growth Points: Studies of the Relationships between Chinese and Foreign Literatures from the Last Quarter of 2018 to 2020
QIN Li-yan
2020, 3(4): 716-721. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203407
Abstract:
From the last quarter of 2018 until 2020, studies of the relationships between Chinese and foreign literatures have deepened steadily in China. This paper identifies the tendencies and highlights of the field, such as the focus on contextualization, on varied translation practices, and on the crossing of boundaries between literature and other art forms.
[Abstract](109) [PDF 588KB](60)
Emerging Trends in Chinese Comparative Poetics: (2018—2020)
TANG Ke
2020, 3(4): 722-728. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203408
Abstract:
Over the past two years, comparative poetics scholars have been challenging the tired model of East-West cultural binary opposition by analyzing the complex aspects of “similarities” and “differences” presupposed by “comparison.”They have also examined the nature and method of poetry through interdisciplinary dialogues, as well as the paradigms of poetics from the dimension of “metapoetics.”The common feature of studies mentioned in this essay is that they do not blindly follow mainstream Western thinking but focus on the discourse construction of Chinese poetics, thus showing a deeper awareness of the mutual understanding between China and the West, while reflecting on local and foreign poetics reciprocally.
[Abstract](193) [PDF 593KB](69)
The Reemergence of "CHINESE" "Literature": A Review of the Study of Chinese Literature Anthropology from 2018 to 2020
ZHAO Zhou-kuan
2020, 3(4): 729-735. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203409
Abstract:
The Study of Chinese literature anthropology from the year 2018 to 2020 continues its interdisciplinary ambition and pioneering spirit, and returns to the “China” position and the core concern of “literary” in a deeper sense. The essence of the core theoretical concerns of this discipline has been reiterated, and the multiple meanings of “ China” and “ literature” are theoretically expounded. The study of Chinese literature anthropology has returned to its original starting point and stood for the Chinese position, showing a high degree of cultural consciousness and selfreliance.
[Abstract](181) [PDF 662KB](65)
Our Conquest is the Sea of Stars: New Developments of Science Fiction Study in China(2018—2020)
LÜ Chao
2020, 3(4): 736-741. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203410
Abstract:
Between 2018 and 2020, the study of science fiction in China has gained further development on the basis of the “prairie fire” momentum. A number of science fiction activities have been carried out, new research institutions and publication platforms have been established, many excellent academic books and papers have emerged, and several international awards have been won. There are four outstanding achievements: a study on Liu Cixin and The Three-Body Problem,the publication of documents and building of databases, work on the topic of artificial intelligence, and the academic response to the COVID-19 epidemic. These not only prove that the trend of “breaking the circle” in science fiction studies is becoming more and more obvious, but also reflects the humanistic care of science fiction scholars for our society.
[Abstract](187) [PDF 626KB](49)
Back to the Origin: Biennial Report on Studies of Sinology and Overseas Chinese Literature(2018—2020)
YU Xia-yun
2020, 3(4): 742-750. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203411
Abstract:
In the past two years, studies on Sinology and Overseas Chinese Literature have made great progress by reorientating the disciplinary position and clarifying the disciplinary patterns. However, this detail-based research also brings out certain problems, such as paying insufficient attention to the totality.Fortunately, with the emergence of digital humanities, this problem is expected to be effectively solved.
[Abstract](106) [PDF 660KB](57)
New Trends in the Study of Eastern Literature(2018—2020)
CENG Qiong
2020, 3(4): 751-757. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203412
Abstract:
This paper summarizes and discusses the characteristics and directions of Oriental(preferrably Eastern) Literature research in China since 2018,with a particular focus on the results outside of Japanese and Korean literature,arguing that the increased awareness of Eastern Literature disciplines, the focus on original texts, the expansion of research fields, and the appropriate use of some new research methods are the main new trends in Eastern Literature research during this period.
[Abstract](122) [PDF 609KB](62)
Biennial Report on Chinese Translation Studies(2018—2020)
ZHENG Ye
2020, 3(4): 758-768. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203413
Abstract:
This paper reviews important works in the field of translation studies in China from 2018 to 2020. The proportion of translation research engaging with new technologies has increased considerably, notably research on translation processes. Translation research on minority literature or dialect literature has also been taken into consideration. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the study of emergency language services has become another interesting new academic growth area.
[Abstract](146) [PDF 725KB](56)
Book Reviews
WANG Guojun. Staging Personhood: Costuming in Early Qing Drama
WANG An
2020, 3(4): 771-773. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203414
Abstract:
[Abstract](131) [PDF 238KB](61)
Hutchinson, Ben. Comparative Literature: A Very Short Introduction
WANG Zhi-xi
2020, 3(4): 774-779. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203415
Abstract:
[Abstract](288) [PDF 415KB](110)
ZHAO Xiaoqi, ZHANG Huijia, XU Xu and SUN Peipei. Modern Chinese Poetics: An Introduction
YAN Shi-chao
2020, 3(4): 780-783. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203416
Abstract:
[Abstract](114) [PDF 408KB](68)
TONG Ming. Modernity in Fugue: Revelations of the 19th Century European Literature
XU Zhi-qiang
2020, 3(4): 784-786. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20203417
Abstract:
[Abstract](180) [PDF 355KB](55)
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