China’s “Not So Detached from Reality” Literary Avant-Garde: Su Tong and His Subversive Opposition to Communist Ideology Cover Image

China’s “Not So Detached from Reality” Literary Avant-Garde: Su Tong and His Subversive Opposition to Communist Ideology
China’s “Not So Detached from Reality” Literary Avant-Garde: Su Tong and His Subversive Opposition to Communist Ideology

Author(s): Katarzyna Sarek
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
Keywords: Su Tong; Maple Village cycle; Chinese modern literature; avant-garde literature; subversion

Summary/Abstract: Individualistic and non-political. While it is true that these writers focused on the individual and experimented with stylistic techniques, they did not completely disconnect themelves from China’s political and social realities. Su Tong’s works, for instance, challenge the communist ideology and explore contemporary Chinese history through personal experiences. His characters may appear to be stereotypes, but their relationships defy clichés, and the stories reveal the destructive power of hatred. Furthermore, Su Tong’s portrayal of rural-urban migration expresses individual helplessness, and his depiction of cities as corrupt and crime-ridden questions the success of China’s efforts at modernisation

  • Issue Year: 71/2023
  • Issue No: 9
  • Page Range: 59-71
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: English