Chapter 2 The End of Modern Chinese Revolutionary Literature
In: Liu Zaifu: Selected Critical EssaysPurchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
This chapter delineates the genre of revolutionary literature, which was a dominant literary paradigm in China from the 1920s to the 1970s and gradually faded after the end of the Cultural Revolution. By employing a historical archaeological approach, Liu elucidates several prominent features of revolutionary literature, including reliance on hegemonic ideology, a teleological view of history, and politically charged narration. The distinguishing feature of this article is that Liu does not return to a linear view to provide a review of revolutionary literature; instead, he pauses on certain historical moments, artistic movements, literary figures and works before moving on to categorize various manifestations of revolutionary literature. With his acute insights, Liu not only leads us to revisit and reinterpret modern Chinese literature but also compels us to ask how literature could retain its autonomy vis-à-vis political and ideological manipulation.