Institute for Chinese Studies presents the "Global and Transnational Experiences" Lecture Series
"The Inner Brilliance of the Hypnotized: Reading Early Lu Xun"
Abstract:
The turn of 20th century was a time when China was flooded by sensational discourses and discoveries in natural and supernatural sciences. It was also a time when racist categorization, blending with the classic standard of civilization, mediated both the Chinese and Western interpretation of critical events such as the Boxer Uprising. It is against this background that Zhang suggests a critical reflection on the idea of "Western learning" in modern Chinese literary practices by establishing possible links between some of Lu Xun's early works, including the famous novella The True Story of Ah Q, with, and a worldview transformed by these discourses.
Bio:
Li Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. He is also affiliated with the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia. His research interests include the interaction between science, technology and Chinese literature from the late Qing, and modern and contemporary Chinese poetry.
