Assignment 10
Based on the readings, answer these questions.
1- How, would you say, do the texts we read by Ba Jin, Zhang Tianyi, and Xiao Hong reflect on contemporary reality in China? How do these realist texts allow us insight into that particular historical moment in China? What do you think was the ideological significance of these stories at the time? Explain.
2. How are these three writers and their texts different from each other? How do they represent different possibilities of writing realist fiction? Explain.
3. Would you say that Ba Jin’s text “Dog†is an “anarchist†text? Why? How is this text iconoclastic, and what makes it a powerful text? How does it describe a crisis of consciousness, subjectivity and the self? What is the significance and effect of the first-person narrative point of view and the animal imagery in this story?
4. How does Zhang Tianyi, in his story “Mid-Autumn Festival,†use irony and satire to depict and critique (even caricature) issues in contemporary Chinese society, as well as the family? How does he depict various characters in the story differently, and why? What did you learn from reading this particular story?
5. How does Xiao Hong portray the situation of a young girl in her story “Hands.†What is the importance of the girl’s hands in the story? What kinds of literary techniques does the writer use in conveying her cultural critique in this text?
6. What arguments is David Wang making in his article entitled “Fictive History: Mao Dun’s Historical Fiction� What does he mean when he writes about “the historical, the fictional, and the real� Read this text closely and summarize the key points and arguments that are being made? How are these ideas relevant to the three texts we read for today?
