Chinese Theories of Fiction: A Non-Western

In this innovative work, Ming Dong Gu examines Chinese literature and traditional Chinese criticism to construct a distinctly Chinese theory of fiction and places it within the context of international fiction theory. He argues that because Chinese fiction, or xiaoshuo, was produced in a tradition very different from that of the West, it has formed a system of fiction theory that cannot be adequately accounted for by Western fiction theory grounded in mimesis and realism. Through an inquiry into the macrocosm of Chinese fiction, the art of formative works, and theoretical data in fiction commentaries and intellectual thought, Gu explores the conceptual and historical conditions of Chinese fiction in relation to European and world fiction. In the process, Gu critiques and challenges some accepted views of Chinese fiction and provides a theoretical basis for fresh approaches to fiction study in general and Chinese fiction in particular. Such masterpieces as the Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) and the Hongloumeng (The Story of the Stone) are discussed at length to advance his notion of fiction and fiction theory. Book jacket.

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

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Chinese Theories of Fiction: A Non-Western Narrative System

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