Description
Book SynopsisPublished in China in 2010 and appearing here in English for the first time,
Revolution and its Narratives is a historical, literary, and critical account of the cultural production of the narratives of China's socialist revolution that illuminates the complexity of socialist art, culture, and politics.
Trade Review"Cai Xiang's study of socialist literary and cultural imaginaries, originally published in 2010, is one of the most provocative books on post-1949 Chinese literature and culture appearing in Chinese since the beginning of the new century. Its English version,
Revolution and Its Narratives, brilliantly edited and meticulously translated by Rebecca E. Karl and Xueping Zhong, makes a significant and timely contribution to ongoing debates about the cultural-political legacies of revolutionary China." -- Pu Wang * The China Quarterly *
"
Revolution and Its Narratives contains numerous original insights, based on a wealth of readings of both classics of the 1950s and 1960s and many lesser-known works. It covers a wide range of topics and will be essential reading for scholars and graduate students working on Chinese socialist literature." -- Nicolai Volland * Modern Chinese Literature and Culture *
"
Revolution & Its Narratives is beyond any doubt a major achievement and a substantial contribution to the field of Chinese cultural production of the 1950s and 1960s. Cai’s superb sensibility to theory, erudition, and ethical commitment to the subaltern classes make his book a compelling work of mind and passion." -- Yiju Huang * China Review International *
Table of ContentsA Note on Translation vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction to the English Translation / Rebecca E. Karl and Xueping Zhong xi
Introduction. Literature and Revolutionary China 1
1. The National/The Local: Conflict, Negotiation, and Capitulation in the Revolutionary Imagination 27
2. The Mobilization Structure: The Masses, Cadres, and Intellectuals 85
3. Youth, Love, "Natural Rights," and Sex 145
4. Renarrating the History of the Revolution: From Hero to Legend 189
5. Narratives of Labor or Labor Utopias 251
6. Technological Revolution and Narratives of Working-Class Subjectivity 307
7. Cultural Politics, or Political Cultural Conflicts, in the 1960s 357
8. Conclusion. The Crisis of Socialism and Efforts to Overcome It 403
Bibliography 433
Index 447
