One of the Revelations for Mo Yan’s Winning of Nobel Prize: The Significance and Limitation of Mysterious Writing in Contemporary Chinese Literature

Taiyun Xiao

School of Literature, Southwest University, Chongqing, China..

DOI: 10.4236/als.2014.23014                

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the relaxed politic and literary environment has left space for mysterious writing, and a series of mystery novels gain Chinese domestic awards for literature, such as the White Deer Plain, Red Poppies and Right bank of the Argun that won the Mao Dun prize which is the highest honor of novel writings in China. Furthermore, Mo Yan’s winning of the Nobel Prize for Literature indicates that mysterious writing is in the ascendant in contemporary Chinese literature. The contents of this paper are as follows: firstly, the definitions of mystery and mysterious writing are defined, and traces of mysterious writing in ancient Chinese literature and its development in the context of contemporary literature are surveyed; secondly, the manifestations of mysterious writing and its multiple aesthetic dimensions are investigated; thirdly, the aesthetic significance and value connotations of mysterious writing are displayed; Finally, the reflection and planning for the limitations and way out of mysterious writing are illustrated. The results of this paper are: Mysterious writing is consistently existent in the history of Chinese literature with various manifestations; Mysterious writing broadens the scope of literary aesthetics, constructs a special aesthetic style and aesthetic effect, and enriches the value forms and the quality state of contemporary literature. But there are also some disadvantages of Mysterious writing and we should look at it from a dialectical perspective.

Keywords

Contemporary Chinese Literature, Mysterious Writing, Aesthetic Form, Aesthetic Significance, Value and Significance, Value Connotation, Writing Limitation

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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