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

Katarzyna Sarek

doi:10.18290/rh23719.4

Published : 2023-10-24

Vol. 71 No. 9 (2023)

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

Katarzyna Sarek

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4298-6301

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rh23719.4

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

Keywords:

Su Tong, Maple Village cycle, Chinese modern literature, avant-garde literature, subversion

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