CCLA01: Strangers to Ourselves: the Critical Study of Narrative

Week 12 (1): Red Sorghum--Struggling with Ideology

Read the following texts:

Mo Yan, Red Sorghum

Zhu Ling, "A Brave New World?"

Mao Zedong, "Talks at the Ya'nan Forum"

Mo Yan, "Mo Yan, Creator of the Red Sorghum Series"

Preparatory Questions

In this session we will look more closely at the circumstances of production of Mo Yan's novel. Mao Zedong's "Talks at the Ya'nan Forum" provide us with a definitive statement of how the Chinese government perceived the function of fiction from 1949 until the reform period from the late 1970s onwards. Zhu Ling's article critiques Mo's text from a feminist perspective, noting how it engages with notions of nationalism and Chinese identity in the People's Republic of China. The interview with Mo provided gives you some of his own thoughts on the place of his work within the Chinese society for which he is writing.

In terms of concepts, we'll be considering how the notions of ideology, alienation and defamiliarization might be applied to a Red Sorghum. You are welcome to post any response to or question that you'd like discussed about Mo Yan's novel with these concerns in mind. You can also respond at length to a point raised by another class member posting this week. Things you might wish to consider:

• The extent to which Red Sorghum challenges the ideological framework of Maoism.
• The extent to which Mo Yan is conscious of the ideological parameters within which he works.
• Whether or not you agree with Zhu Ling's critique of Mo Yan from a feminist perspective.