Chinese Theories of Reading and Writing: A Route to Hermeneutics and Open Poetics

Contents

Contents Preface xi Abstract xv Introduction Theory of Fiction: A Chinese Perspective 1 Internationalization of Chinese Fiction 1 A Critique of Realism 4 A Critique of History 5 A Critique of the Poetry-Fiction Divide 7 Objectives of Inquiry 9 Scope of Inquiry 10 Assumptions and Methodology 12 Chapter One Chinese Notions of Fiction 17 Chinese Xiaoshuo and Western “Fiction” 19 From “Xiaoshuo” to Xiaoshuo 21 The Continuity of Fictionality in Xiaoshuo 25 The Intrinsic Nature of Xiaoshuo 32 The Problem of Self-Conscious Fictionalization 35 Chapter Two The Nature of (Chinese) Fiction 43 A Definition of Fiction 43 Fictionality: the Conceptual Core of Xiaoshuo 47 A Definition of Pure Fiction 51 Intrinsic Reasons for the Rise of Fiction 52 Historical and Narrative Inertia 61 From Storytelling to Fictional Art 67 vii Chapter Three The Aesthetic Turn in Chinese Fiction 71 The Initial Turn to Fictionality in Early Xiaoshuo 72 The Turn to Realism and Inwardness 75 The Turn to Multiplicity in the Full-length Novel 82 The Drive toward Pure Fiction 84 A Change in Model for Fiction Writing 88 The Linguistic Turn to Fiction as Verbal Art 92 Chapter Four The Poetic Nature of Chinese Fiction 97 The Lyric Unconscious of Chinese Fiction 98 Poeticization of Prose Fiction 103 The Rise of Poetic Fiction 105 Intrinsic Poetic Qualities in Fiction 110 A Definition of Poetic Fiction 117 Lyrical Realism and Mythical Realism 117 Aesthetic Suggestiveness: Hallmark of Fictional Art 121 Chapter Five The Art of the Jin Ping Mei: Poetics of Pure Fiction 125 A Self-Conscious Turn to Pure Fiction 126 A Novelistic Conception of Weaving 128 Creative Impulse and Motivation for Fiction-Making 131 The Invention of Characters and Plot 137 A Disseminative Paradigm of Reading/Writing 142 The Poetics of Fabrication 146 A Novel of Multiple Dimensions 151 Chapter Six The Art of the Hongloumeng: Poetic Fiction and Open Fiction 153 The Ontology of Representation 154 The Epistemology of Representation 158 Creative Vision: Openness of Fiction 163 Dreams and the Making of Poetic Fiction 169 The Poetic Unconscious and Poetics of Openness 174 A Writing Model of Open Fiction 179 Chapter Seven Theory of Fiction: A Chinese System 181 A Synthetic Overview 181 Genesis: Lyrical and Psychological Rise 183 viii CONTENTS Ontology: Being in Nonbeing or Real in Unreal 187 Epistemology: Make-believe or Taking the Unreal as Real 191 Creative Conception: Many-in-One Totality 195 Model of Writing: Linguistic Dissemination 198 A Definition of Open Fiction 200 Modes of Representation: Kaleidoscopic Narration 201 Theory of Reading: Open Hermeneutics 205 Conclusion Toward a Transcultural Theory of Fiction 211 Conceptual Roots of Sameness and Difference 212 Mimetic Dogma and Chinese Dissent 214 Conceptual Basis for a Transcultural Fiction Theory 217 Fiction as a Linguistic Representation of the One 219 Notes 223 Selected Bibliography 243 Index 261 CONTENTS ix ...