CN4407 Postsocialist Attitude: Literature and Rebellion in post-1990 China

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Module description

This module covers Chinese literature in the so-called postsocialist era, from 1990 to the present day. Crumbling socialist institutions, market reform, the changing position of intellectuals, globalization and urbanization have had a profound effect on the literary field in China, ushering in what academics have referred to as ‘an age of attitude’. We will explore the nature and extent of the transgressive quality that runs through many of the texts from this era. Through these works we will get a sense of the cultural, economic and ideological changes that China has undergone from the 1990s onwards, and in the process engage with, and problematize, the very concept of literary rebellion. Across the course we will explore such questions as: How have recent economic, political, and ideological changes affected literature in China? How have these changes been depicted in literary texts? What is 'rebellious' literature? What are the writers rebelling against?

Intended learning outcomes

• demonstrate their knowledge of the key cultural trends of post-1989 China, particularly in relation to literature
• demonstrate their understanding of how political, economic and social change in the period shaped the form and content Chinese literature
• identify, discuss and debate the various definitions and theories surrounding the term ‘postsocialist’
• discuss the theme of ‘attitude’ and rebellion – and its limits – in relation to post-1989 Chinese culture
• analyse key texts from post-1989 China in translation