1. Introduction.- 2. Literary Evolutionism and Its Discontents: Between Zhou Zuoren and Lu Xun.- 3. Individuality contra “Homo Economicus”: A Reading of Lao She’s Camel-Xiangzi.- 4. Touch, Body, and the New Perceptionism: Mu Shiying’s Case.- 5. Lu Xun’s “Ah Jin” and the Politics of Exemplarity.

This book aims to demonstrate the multiplicity of configurations of the individual in modern Chinese literature through analyzing several classic texts written by Zhou Zuoren, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Mu Shiying. It attempts to refresh our understanding of the history of modern Chinese literature and indirectly responds to the controversial issue of “individual rights” (or “human rights”) in present-day China, showing that in modern Chinese literature, various configurations of the individual imply political possibilities that are not only irreconcilable with each other, but irreducible to the determination of the modern discourse of “individualism” introduced by the West. A groundbreaking work, it will give valuable context to political scientists and other scholars seeking to understand what "China" means in the 21st century.
Qin Wang received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from New York University, USA. He is the translator of the Chinese editions of Jacques Derrida’s Donner la mort and La bête et le souverain, Volume 1, Richard Bernstein’s Radical Evil, Jacques Lezra’s Wild Materialism, and David Harvey’s A Brief History of Neoliberalism.

Explains in the English language the profound ways that Chinese language reform impacted political reform Draws extensive links between Chinese artistic avant-gardes and the Communist Party Gives context to contemporary Chinese governmental soft-power initiatives

GPSR Compliance The European Union's (EU) General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is a set of rules that requires consumer products to be safe and our obligations to ensure this. If you have any concerns about our products you can contact us on ProductSafety@springernature.com. In case Publisher is established outside the EU, the EU authorized representative is: Springer Nature Customer Service Center GmbH Europaplatz 3 69115 Heidelberg, Germany ProductSafety@springernature.com