Introduction to Postwar Taiwan Fiction
Unit Seven:
The Poetics of Diaspora and Nostalgia
Lecturer:
Richard Rong-bin Chen,
PhD of Comparative Literature.
Unless noted, the course materials are licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Taiwan (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
1
David Der-wei Wang
• “Reinventing National History:
Communist and Anti-Communist
Fiction of the Mid-Twentieth Century”
in Chinese Literature in the Second Half of
a Modern Century (2000).
2
The Post-1949 Literary Scene in
Taiwan
• “Insofar as history always involves a
narrative through which discrete, tangible
data are organized into an intelligible
discourse, how would the Nationalist
government explain, or explain away, the
causes of its mainland debacle? How would
the government reclaim its legitimacy over
the mainland, if not in political terms, at
least in narrative terms?” (Wang, 40)
Source: David Der-wei Wang.(2000).
Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang (Eds.),
Chinese literature in the second half of a
modern century : a critical survey
3
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
• “Two interrelated themes, diaspora and
nostalgia, prevailed in the anti-Communist
fiction of this time. More than 1 million
mainlanders, the majority of whom were
related to the Nationalist regime politically
or economically, escaped to Taiwan in 1949
and the years immediately after. To these
émigrés, forced exile was a traumatic
experience; their nation had been broken
up, families torn apart and familiar value
systems turned upside down.
(48continued)”
Source: David Der-wei Wang.(2000).
Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang (Eds.),
Chinese literature in the second half of a modern
century : a critical survey
4
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
• “Looking back across the Taiwan Strait,
they felt compelled to write about their past
and their lost land. Diaspora indicates a
temporary evacuation from a cultural and
geographical space that authenticates
identity as Chinese, whereas nostalgia
suggests an effort to remember and reclaim
a lost golden time. Both themes are
incorporated into a higher discourse
about the re-forming of national history.”
(48)
Source: David Der-wei Wang.(2000).
Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang (Eds.),
Chinese literature in the second half of a modern
century : a critical survey
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
5
“Re-forming” the history of the Republic
• “Mr. Candlestick” and “Toad Well”: the pre-1949
history.
• Heroism emphasized, martyrs praised.
• Modernism tried to rephrase the Republic from
an upside-down perspective.
• Wang Wen-hsing’s “The Dragon Inn.”
• Pai Hsien-yung’s Taipei People.
• Heroes turn mere outcast in a new place and era,
unable to fit into the society of Taiwan.
6
Peng Ko
•
•
•
•
The Pen-name of Yao Peng.
A native of Peiping (Beijing before 1949).
Born in 1926, came to Taiwan in 1949.
A graduate of National Chengchi
University, majoring in Journalism.
• Used to be the editor-in-chief and president
of Central Daily News [中央日報].
7
• Peng Ko’s father was an engineer, always away
from home.
• His mother died when he was in his mid teens.
• Peng was separated from his father in 1937 due
nd
to the breakout of the 2 Sino-Japanese War.
• In 1943, Peng tried to migrate to Shaanxi
Province with two of his classmates, the
“interior” territory control by the KMT
government, and went further to Sichuan to
start his college career.
8
9
The War
• Japan never stopped its invasion in China
since the late Qing Dynasty.
• 1931: the 918 Incident, Manchuria occupied
by Japan.
• 1932: the 128 Incident, Shanghai attacked
by Japan.
th
• July 7 , 1937 marks the official beginning
of the war with Japan’s invasion of Peiping.
10
• December, 1937: the Nanking Massacre,
over 300,000 Chinese victimized.
• 1938: the KMT government relocated
from Central China (Wuhan City) to
Chungking, Sichuan.
• 1941: the Pacific War broke out after the
Battle of Pearl Harbor, US aid to China
started.
• 1945: the war ended.
11
“Mr. Candlestick” (1954)
• The work is in many ways autobiographical,
for example: the narrator’s orphanage and
the protagonists’ patriotism and brotherhood.
• A work of bildungsroman. (Elements:
orphanage, migration, maturity, etc.)
12
• The author used Mr. Candlestick as his
mouthpiece to address his readers, to boost
their morale, since half of the post-1949 era
was named “the Period of National
Mobilization and the Suppression of the
Communist Rebellion” (1947-1991):
“The most important thing is that we can be of
some use to our country in the future.” (71)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
13
The farewell letter from Mr.
Candlestick to the narrator:
Our country is in great trouble. The
communists are most wick…We have the duty
to… our land and protect our people…A good
soldier is never afraid of death. The light of a
candle… Though it is nothing, it will do its
best…. Beyond Chang-ch’un… die in
glory…Take good of yourself and revenge me.
(73)
Lo-teh
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
14
Some important aspects.
• The mechanism of metaphor and the
nickname, “Mr. Candlestick.”
• Traditional Chinese values.
15
• ”How could I help the fact that uncle was a
businessman? It would have been a waste of
time to argue the case for patriotism before
a businessman like uncle.” (61)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
• In response to the narrator’s “misdemeanor”
of mahjong playing, Mr. Candlestick quoted
Laotze, Confucius, Mencius, and Wang
Yang-ming, etc. (67)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
16
The quotations from the
Chinese thinkers.
• It marks Mr. Candlestick’s maturity,
from academic failure to success.
• It marks his ideological education in
the Military Academy.
• Political propaganda.
• Confucianism vs. Communism and
Marxism.
17
The theme of maturity.
Anyway, from the letters that did reach
me I discovered that he was making
steady progress in his letter writing; he
not only wrote in a neat, correct hand but
also showed clearer thinking.(67)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
18
From a “tall, reedy fellow” and a demoted
student in the beginning to a real soldier.
In contrast to his appearance in the hospital, he was
now clad in a neat soldier’s uniform with his feet
encased in high leather boots and his hands ensconced in
white gloves. Though not on horseback and carrying a
sword, he looked imposing. The way he carried himself
was especially virile and dignified; one could even see a
flicker of self-assurance in his eves and around the
corners of his lips. Gone was the Mr. Candlestick of
another day: a silly-looking youth who used to wander
around in a daze with a bewildered look.(69)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : 19
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
The comparison between the
narrator and Mr. Candlestick.
We had only been separated several months,
yet how greatly he had changed! My initial
reaction was that this was funny; but, on second
thought, I found it no laughing matter at all.
Instead, there arose in me an overpowering fear,
a fear that gave me the shivers. It would not do
for me to keep on pursing a life that was
aimless and meaningless .(68)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan(Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
20
The comparison between the
narrator and Mr. Candlestick.
Such a life would soon turn me into an object of
scorn from the man I once scorned. I must, from
that moment on, get a hold of myself. In the days
that followed I really braced up. Textbooks in
algebra, physics and chemistry appeared once more
on my desk. In short, I began to pay serious
attention to all the subjects that would prepare me
for a chance to continue my education.(68)
Source: Peng Ko.(2004). Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation :
Hung Yeh Publishing Co
21
The Battle of Chang-ch’un
•
•
•
•
It marks Mr. Candlestick’s heroic death.
One of the first victories of the PLA.
From May to October, 1948.
According to the Central Daily News,
during the siege, the casualties of the
civilians were no less than 150,000. But
some resources claim that the number is
no less than 600,000.
22
• For further information about Peng
Ko, please check his collection of
nine stories, Black Tears: Stories of
War-torn China (1986).
• ”Translator’s Preface” by Nancy Ing.
• ”Introduction” by C. T. Hsia (Hsia
Chih-tsing)
23
Ssu-ma Chung-yuan
• 1933: born in淮陰, a county in the north
part of Chiang-su Province.
• His family relocated to Nanking after the
end of the Second Sino-Japanese War;
however, his early life in the rural area
keeps playing an important part in his
writing.
24
• [For example, “Toad Well” is set in
the area around Hung-tse Lake (洪澤
湖), where he spent his childhood.]
• At the age of around 16 (1948), Ssu-ma
Chung-yuan joined the army, and he
retired in 1962, after 14 years of
experience in being an instructor, staff
officer, and press officer. His final rank
is a lieutenant.
25
Wikipedia Uwe Dedering
26
• 1952: he completed his debut novel,
The Waste Land (《荒原》), but it was
not published until 1959, the year in
which it was accepted by Crown
Magazine [皇冠雜誌社].
• In the following years, a period of
more than half a century, he published
more than sixty books.
27
• According to Nancy Ing [殷張蘭熙],
the editor of Winter Plum, Ssu-ma
Chung-yuan can be labeled as a writer
of “regional literature,” which depicts
“down-to-earth, strong, and stubborn
country folk.” (xv)
• They write on the basis of the
experience in the northern areas of
China.
28
The theme of “repetition.”
• History always repeats itself.
• The first and the second disputes.
• The dispute between Shih Village [石家屯]
and Hua Hamlet [花鼓庄] is as absurd as
that between Dragon Pass [龍寨] and
Sandheap [沙集]. The only difference is
that Scabby stopped the tragedy from
happening again.
29
The story reflects the historical reality
of the earliest days of the Republic
• Civilians chose to seek help from a group
of reckless bandits simply because they
thought the Army of the North [北洋軍閥]
was even more predatory.
• In this respect, we can feel a strong sense
of absurdity, almost as absurd as a dispute
over Toad Well which cost dozens of lives.
30
History of the earliest period of
ROC.
• 1911: the Qing Dynasty overthrown by the
Hsin-hai Revolution [辛亥革命] breaking out
in Central China.
• 1912: President Yuan Shih-kai [袁世凱],
once the greatest warlord of the late Qing
Dynasty, was inaugurated.
31
• 1916: Yuan died after trying to make himself
an emperor, the new-found nation became
disunited and occupied by various regional
warlords.
• 1921: Dr. Sun Yat-sen started to build a KMT
government in Canton.
• 1924: Whampoa Military Academy established
by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
• 1926: the Northern Expedition initiated by
Chiang Kai-shek, uniting China in just one
year.
32
The “Stupidity” of Rural Chinese
• When Second Uncle [二大爺] said the
quarrel about the origin of sea slugs, which
had initiated the conflict between Dragon
Pass and Sandheap, was stupid, he did not
know that their quarrel about Toad Well
was no smarter.
• Questioned by Scabby, Master Hsu, the
narrator’s father, admitted that it is a
problem of principle (p. 344).
Source: Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Nancy Ing (Ed.),
Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
33
“Would you have believed me? I didn’t say a word until
I just couldn’t take this any more. You were in such a
crazy state of mind you would only have got angry at me.
What nonsense is all this about toad well? A miraculous
well! It’s just got a few minerals in it that’s all.”
“Maybe so,” my father admitted with some
embarrassment, “but that wasn’t the point. It was the
Source: Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Nancy Ing (Ed.),
principle of the thing.”(344)
Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
Master Hsu vs. Scabby
The unreasonable vs. the reasonable
The traditional vs. the modern
The superstitious vs. the scientific
The stupid vs. the wise
34
Stock character of Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.
• Heroes who are plain in appearance, but are
both competent, wise and unnamed in
character.
• In this respect, Scabby and the old puppet
master in “The Mountain” belong to the
same type, and the only difference is that
Scabby is a tragic hero.
• They are “round characters” or “dynamic
characters.”
35
Traditional Chinese Values.
• Some sentiments specific to rural China
are described in detailed.
• The corruption of local magistrate.
• The loyalty of Li Erh [李二].
• The tragic death of Fourth Uncle [四叔]
and his wife.
• The cost of keeping traditional principles,
such as a dispute over “face” (honor) [爭
一口氣] (p. 334).
Source: Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Nancy Ing (Ed.),
Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
36
“People of shih Village-Listen!” My father was well
known for the power of his lungs and as he opened his
mouth in a great shout he even frightened three
cicadas away from the tree in which I was sitting. “In
court we’ve been wasting our breath. Now we will
find a better use for it. There is an old saying that
claims man is only a mouthful of breath and Buddha
only a bowlful of incense. Well then, as long as we
have breath we’ll fight to the last breath. Our quarrel
with Hau Hamlet is so tangled up that even nine
buffalos won’t be able to straighten it out-except by
Source: Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Nancy Ing (Ed.),
fighting.(334)
Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
37
【Analysis or interpretation?】
• Usually, when you try to figure out the
elements in short stories, such as motif,
theme, plot, characters, and narrator, and to
make them related, you are on the road to an
analysis of fiction.
• On the other hand, when you try to relate the
story to the elements beyond itself, you are
making an interpretation.
38
Glossary
Motif: the smallest element of a story.
• “Running Mother”
• “State Funeral”
• “My Relatives in Hong Kong”
• “1,230 Spots”
39
• “The Taste of Apples”
• “Red Boy”
• “Death in a Cornfield”
• “Mr. Candlestick”
• “Toad Well”
40
Plot: the story structure constituted by episodes.
• Episodes can be related or unrelated.
• Some of them are indispensable, some
dispensable.
41
“Death in a Cornfield”
• The Death of Chen.
• The Divorce of the reporter.
• The interviews. [Georgia, the
colleague, the daughter, and the high
school classmate.].
42
Character:
• Aspects of the Novel (1927) by E. M.
Forster (1879-1970)
• Round characters and flat characters.
• Boris Tomashevsky’s dynamic and
static characters.
43
• “Mr. Candlestick”／“Scabby”
• Ｗhy the character changes?
• What is the cause of or reason for his
(or her) transformation? The moral or
ethical implications?
44
Stock Characters
• Stock characters are stereotypical people in
certain genres or in works by specific
writers.
• For example, in fairy tales, we usually see
the characters of knights, princesses, kings,
and witches. Besides, in Pai Hsien-yung’s
works, the protagonist are usually sons of
generals, students abroad, retired generals
or officials, and immigrants from Mainland
China after 1949.
45
• In contrast, in Huang Chun-min’s short
stories, many of the characters are usually
countrymen or countrymen in the city who
can only find hard ways to make a living.
46
Narrator:
• First Person. [Might be autobiographical.]
• Second Person. [Addressor and addressee.]
• Third Person. [Descriptive and commentary.]
47
Ways of Characterization
• Definition: “how the characters are
depicted”
• Direct exposition
• Presentation of character in action
• Representation of the character
from within
48
Theme
• The main message in the story.
• It should be complex, a statement or
proposition, rather than simple.
• “Mr. Candlestick”: it should be “how an
ordinary young man turned into a
sacrificial hero,” rather than “sacrifice.”
• “Toad Well”: it should be “what can
become of human if violence turns
vengeful and unreasonable?” rather than
49
Structure/Form
• Divided and undivided. (“The Country
Village Teacher” and “My Relatives in
Hong Kong” vs. “The Running Mother”
and “The State Funeral”)
• Epistolary structure. (“Red Boy”)
• Jigsaw Puzzle structure. (“My First Case”
and “Death in a Cornfield”)
50
Copyright Declaration
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Licensing
Author/Source
3
“Insofar as history
always involves
a …least in narrative
terms?”
David Der-wei Wang.(2000). Reinventing National History: Communist and AntiCommunist Fiction of the Mid-Twentieth Century. Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang
(Eds.), Chinese literature in the second half of a modern century : a critical survey (p.40)
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
4
“Two interrelated
themes, diaspora
and …systems turned
upside down.
David Der-wei Wang.(2000). Reinventing National History: Communist and AntiCommunist Fiction of the Mid-Twentieth Century. Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang
(Eds.), Chinese literature in the second half of a modern century : a critical survey (p.48)
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
“Looking back across
the Taiwan …re-forming
of national history.”
David Der-wei Wang.(2000). Reinventing National History: Communist and AntiCommunist Fiction of the Mid-Twentieth Century. Pang-yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang
(Eds.), Chinese literature in the second half of a modern century : a critical survey (p.48)
Bloomington : Indiana University Press
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
5
Wikipeida: Author Unknown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Occupation_-_Map.jpg
2012/04/12 visited
9
13
14
“The most important
thing is that we
can …our country in the
future.”
Peng Ko. (2004). Mr. Candlestick. Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature, (p. 71) Taipei : National Institute for
Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
Our country is in great
trouble. The …yourself
and revenge me.
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick. Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.),
An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 73) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
51
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
Copyright Declaration
Page
Work
Licensing
Author/Source
16
”How could I help the
fact that
uncle …businessman
like uncle.”
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 61) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
16
In response to the
narrator’s …, Mencius,
and Wang Yang-ming,
etc.
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 67) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
18
Anyway, from the letters
that did reach …but also
showed clearer thinking
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 67) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
19
In contrast to his
appearance in
the …with a bewildered
look.
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 69) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
20
We had only been
separated several …was
aimless and
meaningless .
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 68) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
21
Such a life would soon
turn me into an
o…continue my
education.
Peng Ko.(2004). Mr. Candlestick
Chi Pang-yuan (Ed.), An Anthology of contemporary Chinese literature,
(p. 68) Taipei : National Institute for Compilation and Translation : Hung Yeh Publishing Co
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
52
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
Copyright Declaration
Page
Work
Licensing
Author/Source
26
Wikipedia Uwe Dedering
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:China_edcp_location_map.svg
2012/04/12 visited
33
Questioned by
Scabby, …it is a
problem of principle
Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Toad Well
Nancy Ing (Ed.), Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
(p. 344) San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
34
“Would you have
believed me?...point. It
was the principle of the
thing.
Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Toad Well
Nancy Ing (Ed.), Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
(p. 344)San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
36
The cost of keeping
traditional principles,
such as a dispute over
“face”
Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Toad Well
Nancy Ing (Ed.), Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
(p. 334)San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
“People of shih VillageListen!”My …straighten
it out-except by fighting.
Ssu-ma Chung-yuan.(1982). Toad Well
Nancy Ing (Ed), Winter plum : contemporary Chinese fiction ,
(p. 334)San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center
It is used subject to the fair use doctrine of:
•Articles 52 & 65 of Taiwan Copyright Act.
37
53