Abstract In this article, we interpret the transformation processes of the Western literary reception of Chinese canonical classics revisited in Western visual texts. I question how converting traditional vernacular writing into global visual forms alters narrative logic, ethical orientation, and cultural value for Western consumption, bypassing medium-based technicalities. I examine the visual recoding of the Chinese canon to explain drastic ideological shifts in reading practices, framing the inquiry within a critique of Western-centred interpretive modes. My analysis focuses on how these masterpieces are stripped of their original cosmological, Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian scaffolding in Ming and Qing novels, reinforcing Western-centric power structures. Through a literary-critical examination of case studies, this paper demonstrates the tense negotiation between preserving literary heritage and satisfying commodity fetishism in the visualisation of Chinese classics.
Abstract Since Water Margin was introduced to Japan during the Edo period (1603–1867) by its first Japanese translator, Okajima Kanzan, it has established a profound connection with the era's popular literature. The integration of this classic with Japanese culture was multifaceted. To expand its audience and accommodate illiterate commoners, illustrated editions of Water Margin emerged. These editions evolved, from initial rough translations with simplistic drawings during early Edo, to the widespread, popular picture books of the mid-Edo period, and finally to the distinctive, Japanised versions of the late Edo period. Examining the progression of Water Margin picture books reveals the dynamics of its transmission, reception and transformation in Japan, highlighting deep cultural implications. The impact on Edo literature was significant, particularly in novel writing, spurring a wave of creative adaptations. This trend also facilitated the spread of Chinese vernacular literature in Japan.
Abstract This article constructs an interdisciplinary paradigm integrating Yi aesthetics, Western academic interpretations of Chinese aesthetics, and Chinese American diaspora narratives. It aims to fill gaps in Western scholarship regarding the mysticism of the I Ching , tracing the cross-cultural transformation of Zhou Yi hexagram symbols into poetic forms and exploring the underlying cultural-political logic. Taking The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston as the primary object of analysis, the study examines how the writer constructs poetic anti-colonialism and shapes ethnic identity discourse through the creative reinterpretation of Yi aesthetics’ three core dimensions: image-thinking, philosophy of change, and holistic thinking. This aesthetic practice fundamentally deconstructs Western Orientalist stereotypes, offers a localized theoretical model for Chinese literary studies, and opens new avenues for contemporary comparative literature and ethnic identity research.
Abstract The aim of this research is to explore how Western versions of The Orphan of Zhao and Farewell My Concubine transform Chinese storytelling. It argues that Western interpretations are shaped by translation, distribution, and selective exoticisation. Drawing on Orientalism and translation studies, the article shows how The Orphan of Zhao becomes a Western-style tragedy centred on the autonomous individual and resistance to tyranny, departing from Confucian relational values. Similarly, Farewell My Concubine is often read in the West as a queer melodrama and testimony of authoritarian violence, overlooking traditional theatrical and historical contexts. Through textual analysis and cross-cultural critique, the study shows that Western theories – including humanist tragedy, psychoanalysis, queer theory, and liberal critiques of state power – both illuminate and limit understanding. It concludes that Sino-Western literary relations should be treated as a bidirectional dialogue, in which Chinese narratives challenge and enrich Western paradigms rather than serving as mere material.
Abstract When Lao She's Teahouse moves from the Chinese stage to Broadway, something vital gets lost in translation. This article explores that shift, applying Adorno and Horkheimer's theories to show how the Western culture industry neutralises dissent; that is, to account for the bourgeois appropriation of the work. It is worth noting that the original drama's focus on twentieth-century class conflict is essentially flattened by the musical format, replaced by the kind of individual sentiment that sells tickets. So, by analysing this transition, I show how the political grit of the work is stripped away and repackaged as an exotic luxury. It is a classic case of how global markets can take non-Western radical literature and turn it into a harmless, consumable product.
Abstract This article takes ‘reconstructing Orientalism’ as the core perspective to explore the structural misreadings produced by the West in the process of translating and accepting Chinese classical literary works such as The Dream of the Red Chamber and Chu Ci , revealing the ideological and cultural discipline mechanisms behind them. By combining text close reading with cross-cultural discourse analysis, this article analyses the different translation paths of The Dream of the Red Chamber by Jolly and Hawkes, as well as the poetic reconstruction of Chu Ci by Legge and Waley, pointing out the problems of semantic concealment and narrative assimilation in cultural conversion. Finally, it is pointed out that achieving cultural dialogue and structural participation from multiple perspectives can help open up new paths and possibilities for the global understanding of Chinese classical literature.
Abstract This article redefines Amy Tan's literary identity through a Western prism, focusing on her translingual practice that negotiates the cultural meaning across linguistic and ideological boundaries. It argues that Tan did not passively reflect Chinese culture in her English fiction but rather constructively re-created it through and against Western critical viewpoint. The study examines how Tan's cross-linguistic strategies constitute semantic interference, syntactic hybridity and code-switching, acts as cultural resistance. It also explores Western misinterpretations shaped by Orientalist bias which treat these strategies as questions of cultural authenticity rather than identity negotiation This study proves that Tan uses language in both The Joy Luck Club and The Hundred Secret Senses to challenge Western ideas of Chineseness and make writings as a location of intercultural dialogue. This article contributes to Sino-Western literary studies by showing how Tan's bilingual authorship crosses epistemological boundaries and uses translation to shape identity.
Abstract New Portrait of a Female Knight , the final novel by Malaysian Chinese writer Lee Yung Ping, draws on traditional martial arts novels but transcends the typical ‘heroic dream’. This article examines the narrative's underlying metaphors related to Chinese identity, cultural memory and the imagination of the homeland, through the lens of narrative of revenge, a nomadic cartography and a projected ‘Cultural China Dream’. Using human geography theories, it shows how martial arts evoke an idealised ‘Chineseness’. In this story, linked to the author's diasporic Chinese identity, the central theme is the relinquishment of the notion of ‘arrival’. The novel acknowledges that the ‘homeland China’ can only be approached, never fully attained, deconstructing the traditional ‘root-seeking’ narrative in overseas Chinese literature.” This nuanced perspective deepens the exploration of the relationship between overseas Chinese and their homeland, offering a fresh understanding of the diasporic experience.
Abstract Lilian Lee's works have a unique narrative style and profound cultural connotations, making them an important sample for studying Hong Kong literature and providing reference value for social changes in the postcolonial context. This article points out that Lilian Lee's works are rooted in the Chinese literary tradition and deeply influenced by Hong Kong's colonial history, the awakening of local consciousness, and the development of cultural industry by examining the social and cultural background of her creations. This article further analyses the creative modes of ‘New Stories’ and ‘Strange Writing’, revealing how these creative modes innovate on the basis of inheriting the spirit of Chinese literature, thereby promoting the widespread acceptance of Lilian Lee's works. Finally, this article analyses the complexity and contradictions inherent in the construction of Hong Kong cultural identity in her novel creation, and continuously criticises and reflects on modern issues such as urban consumerism and human alienation in Hong Kong.
Abstract At present, the formal shaping of contemporary Chinese realist novels is deeply influenced by the Marxist paradigm of literary analysis. Marxist literary theory operates across four dimensions: language, characterised by a passionate utopian impulse; narrative style, which transcends fixed value systems; social circles, in which character structures break beyond their original confines; and a dialectical narrative perspective that foregrounds historical complexity. These four factors construct the creative nature of the intertextual history of Chinese realist novels, and their form presents a social critical dimension. In the process of translation and introduction, although the language style, character structure, narrative style, and narrative perspective have undergone cultural adaptation under the Western literary system, the social critical dimension of the novel form has been preserved as a whole, forming a disembedded reconstruction of literary symbols.
Abstract Wesley Chu, an American-born Chinese science fiction author, establishes criteria to propagate the traditional cultural values of China using futuristic narratives. In the Tao trilogy, he discusses the underlying innuendos of creative practice by employing the creative growth of the protagonist, and the destiny of the world's future, to reinterprete or re-represent Chinese culture as understood by Western readers. The analysis of Tao series has demonstrated that the concept of Tao is appropriately used to create its own magical world, not patching the symbols of cultures on a superficial level. Tao's fantasy narratives reveal the powerful emotional experiences of the Chinese diaspora, including identity anxiety, cultural nostalgia and defiant rage. The appropriation and grafting disrupts the Orientalist narrative, the Eastern cultural subjectivity and historical experience central, and forming a principled dialogue about cultural power, colonial memory and identity politicsand stretching the intellectual frontiers of the science fiction/fantasy genre and its Orientalist nomenclature to a substantial extent.
Abstract As the embodiment of distinction, the nonhuman animal being has frequently epitomized what it refers to as the ‘other’ in Western rationality. However, within the critical framework of post-humanist animal studies, the hegemonic conception of animals by humans has been constantly challenged through a radical shift from the autonomous, rational subject of humanist philosophy to relational ontologies and the distributed agency of the post-humanist cosmos. When analysed from this perch, William Shakespeare's (1564–1616) King Lear (1606) reflects the bard's fundamental insights regarding the intricate structure of human/animal division. Accordingly, this article maintains that Lear's tragic fall from power and sanity, which has a direct parallel with the crisis of the Renaissance speciesism and with the collapse of L'uomo universale , opens up a new route for his transformation from an exemplum of humanist ideals to an apt ‘animetaphor’, referring to Akira Mizuta Lippit. As Lear turns to his own animality, Shakespeare's deep scepticism regarding the legitimacy of normative Renaissance principles that rely on supposedly existing ontological and epistemological boundaries between the two species is heightened.
Abstract This article analyses Titus Andronicus in terms of the ideas of mimicry, hybridity and the Third Space proposed by Homi Bhabha. It suggests that the play may enact an early modern crisis of the racial and cultural representations. It revolves around Aaron the Moor, Tamora and Lavinia, and through these characters we see how Shakespeare addresses colonial ambivalence and the performance of identity. The hyper-articulate resistance of Aaron, the artificially emulative behaviour of Tamora and the discontinuous bodily state of Lavinia are all viewed as theatrical manifestations of subversion of the postcolonial. Relying on Bhabha, Hall, Gilroy and other important theorists, the article presents the argument that Titus Andronicus has created a proto-postcolonial space in which race and alterity are not a matter of representation, but of performance. In so doing, it adds to the larger discussion on early modern racial construction and the performative politics of otherness.
Abstract This article interprets music as a narration text and believes it to be a powerful witness to collective trauma and cultural memory. The cross-cultural comparison of Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3 and Wang Xilin's Symphony No. 4 probes how each composer has constructed a peculiar aesthetic of tragedy. According to this article, these works represent two paradigmatic forms of testimony to historical suffering: Górecki's ‘meditation’, an inward narrative of spiritual transcendence; and Wang's ‘outcry’, an external protest against historical violence. By examining the sound structures of the works, analysing their emotional strategies, and investigating their differing uses of national musical languages, we can see how these aesthetics are created. The composers’ differing attitudes towards tone clusters are at the heart of a significant finding. This is their different aesthetic. In Górecki's work, the diatonic cluster achieves a ‘meditative stasis’. For Wang, the chromatic cluster brings forth an agonistic cathartic cry. In the end, this article enriches our understanding of tragic music of the twentieth century by demonstrating how musical narratives testify to history on account of their cultural specificity and common humanity.
Abstract Angela Carter's Heroes and Villains reimagines the human–nature relationship in a post-apocalyptic world through a feminist and ecological lens. Drawing on the framework of ‘critical utopia’, this article explores how Carter subverts the binary between technological civilisation and natural primitivism. The novel juxtaposes the Professors’ enclosed enclave of rational control with the Barbarians’ fragile harmony with nature, exposing the failures of both totalizing systems. Through Marianne's movement between these spaces, Carter envisions an emergent ecological consciousness that transforms division into relational becoming. Her awakening signals a form of critical ecotopia – an open-ended rethinking of coexistence between the human and the nonhuman. By situating the narrative within post-apocalyptic and ecofeminist traditions, this article argues that Carter redefines utopian imagination as a site of ecological renewal and feminist critique, revealing how destruction may engender new modes of interdependence.
Abstract This article discusses the need for discursive reading and creative writing practices aimed towards capable readers in prisons. It contends that prison book groups, particularly those with an embedded creative writing component and themed in considered ways – here ‘isolation’ and ‘loneliness’ – should be taken seriously to encourage incarcerated people to address their current circumstances and engage with the world around them. We argue that such initiatives should not shy away from reading materials presumed to be uneasy, as they may prove valuable for critical discussion and creative production. Fieldwork at two prisons revealed that challenging the protocols of reading as a presumed isolated experience, combined with reading materials and writing prompts that explore the complexities of being alone, can support skill development and self-development.
Abstract Following the passing of the first and second generations of Holocaust writers, whose works were deeply rooted in personal and familial experiences, the third generation has emerged with a distinct focus on commemorating the memory of those who perished. In this article, we analyse six representative Anglophone works (Foer, Krauss, Skibell, Chabon, Mendelsohn and Zusak) using a comparative narratological approach grounded in post-memory and trauma studies. We argue that mythic intertexts and genre hybridity (fantasy, detective and comics) reframe Holocaust memory for contemporary audiences while negotiating ethical accountability and market reception. This new wave of writers has brought a fresh perspective to Holocaust literature, using a variety of artistic approaches and aesthetic modes to represent the trauma, loss and resilience of the past. As a result, the genre has evolved from a niche field into a widely recognized and critically acclaimed body of work. These writers often incorporate myth, folklore and symbolism into their narratives, creating a space for imagination and cultural reflection. By moving beyond traditional family-centred stories and realist portrayals, the third generation expands the boundaries of post-memory Holocaust literature. Their works not only preserve historical memory but also explore the complexities of identity, heritage and collective trauma. In doing so, they offer new ways to engage with the past, ensuring that the stories of those who lived through the Holocaust continue to resonate with contemporary audiences.
This article is aimed at determining the role and function of folklore texts in the system of implementation of humanistic aspects of culture. The leading methods of researching this problem are the methods of analysis, comparison, generalization, abstraction, induction, classification and graphic methods of presenting information. The article reveals the content and functions of folklore and how it shapes culture and values. It reviews research on the role of folklore in forming individual and collective identity. The development of competencies in studying folklore genres in school and university is described. The anthropological model in the modern folklore paradigm is examined. The integrative approach to folklore research is outlined. The ethical, educational and aesthetic functions of folklore are explored in detail.
Angela Carter's Heroes and Villains reimagines the human-nature relationship in a post-apocalyptic world through a feminist and ecological lens. Drawing on the framework of 'critical utopia', this article explores how Carter subverts the binary between technological civilisation and natural primitivism. The novel juxtaposes the Professors' enclosed enclave of rational control with the Barbarians' fragile harmony with nature, exposing the failures of both totalizing systems. Through Marianne's movement between these spaces, Carter envisions an emergent ecological consciousness that transforms division into relational becoming. Her awakening signals a form of critical ecotopia-an open-ended rethinking of coexistence between the human and the nonhuman. By situating the narrative within post-apocalyptic and ecofeminist traditions, this article argues that Carter redefines utopian imagination as a site of ecological renewal and feminist critique, revealing how destruction may engender new modes of interdependence.
This article interprets music as a narration text and believes it to be a powerful witness to collective trauma and cultural memory. The cross-cultural comparison how each composer has constructed a peculiar aesthetic of tragedy. According to this article, these works represent two paradigmatic forms of testimony to historical suffering: G & oacute;recki's 'meditation', an inward narrative of spiritual transcendence; and Wang's 'outcry', an external protest against historical violence. By examining the sound structures of the works, analysing their emotional strategies, and investigating their differing uses of national musical languages, we can see how these aesthetics are created. The composers' differing attitudes towards tone clusters are at the heart of a significant finding. This is their different aesthetic. In G & oacute;recki's work, the diatonic cluster achieves a 'meditative stasis'. For Wang, the chromatic cluster brings forth an agonistic cathartic cry. In the end, this article enriches our understanding of tragic music of the twentieth century by demonstrating how musical narratives testify to history on account of their cultural specificity and common humanity.
