Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 46-55.

• Modern and Contemporary Literary Theory • Previous Articles     Next Articles

"Sister Xianglin's Doubts": The Situation and Dilemma of Soul in Luxun's Short Story "New Year Sacrifice"

Zhang Hong   

  1. the School of Humanities in Tongji University
  • Online:2019-11-25 Published:2020-03-20
  • About author:Zhang Hong, Ph. D., is a professor at the School of Humanities in Tongji University. His research interests include modern and contemporary Chinese literature and Lu Xun studies.

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Abstract:

The "world of Lu Town" in Lu Xun's"New Year Sacrifice"is a caricature of early twentieth-century Chinese society. It is a stable social structure centering on the charisma of Master Lu the Fourth, a member of the gentry in Lu Town. The narrator "I" and Sister Xianglin are marginal people, or "superfluous individuals" in the mainstream society. The encounter of the two discloses a serious dilemma. Sister Xianglin's doubts about the existence of soul and Hell are serious mental tortures that reflect the inner anxiety of the narrator "I" as a modern intellectual. Sister Xianglin and "I" are mirrors of each other, highlighting the confusion and powerlessness of modern intellectual rationality on the issue of soul.

Key words: "New Year Sacrifice", Sister Xianglin, view of soul, theory about Hell