Abstract
The author tries to elucidate his views on the debate concerning national character by responding to He Yugao and Liu He's related papers. Firstly, the author disagrees with He Yugao's argument that Liu He fails to criticize Lu Xun by pointing out Liu's denial of Lu Xun's artistic creativity. Liu's denial is shown in herrepeated highlight of the dominating impact from the missionary discourse of national character and she goes even further to claim that Lu Xun's Ah Q "gives a verbatim performance" of the national character script. Secondly, the author rebuts Liu's claim that critics in line with Lu Xun on the national character served as bystanders of the flawed national character. Thirdly, this paper refutes Liu He and He Yugao's view that Lu Xun has successfully subverted the discourse of national character The author points out that Liu's overemphasis on the dominant impact of western discourse of national character on Lu Xun has forestalled him from transcending the discourse of national character. Moreover, it is groundless that she attributes the transcendence to the narrator's literacy. Fourthly, this paper questions Liu He's radical post-modern standpoint and epistemological nihilism and contends that what is presented in Liu He's paper is more contradiction instead of tension. Lastly, the paper counters with He Yugao's criticism on the dichotomy of Chinese intellectuals for enlightenment and claims that He's criticism is groundless as he has failed to clarify the concepts of enlightenment and colonialism let alone the relationship between them.
First Page
36
Last Page
48
Recommended Citation
Tao, Dongfeng. 2019. "Does Lu Xun Subvert the Discourse of National Character?." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 39, (2): pp.36-48. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol39/iss2/5
