Modernism refers to a strong shift from the traditional ways of thinking or perceiving. It signifies a separation of the two where peoples’ perception of things changes.
It takes into account the ‘thinking’ aspect of individuals stressing on the unconscious observable self. It is characterized by a pronounced response against what has been laid down ranging from politics through religion to the society. A modernist holds that peoples’ perceptions are the determinant of the nature of everything and hence, no fixed certainty about them. They assert that the future is imaginary while the past is completely far from them.
Modern fictions on the other hand are contemporary literature works founded on purely imaginations. It opens up the world from all angles, philosophically, politically, theoretically, just to mention a few. It erases the realist view of it by people. Modern fiction constitutes quite a number elements ranging from time and realism to openness. This overview checks these into details.
Time and realism is a crucial element of modern literature. “Time, in Modernist literature, may take the reader through a day in the life of a narrator, whereas in Realism, the reader is taken into a year in the life of the characters” (Childs 25). This shows that this notion of time and as applied in literature is not chronological but recurrent.
It takes place in a free will manner. The cyclic notion of time in a fiction arises when a novelist takes readers through an unorganized literary journey. As he/she encounters images, he/she is unable to predict which will follow. What is expected may even fail to be realized in the unfolding of the entire fiction. Free will and the discovery of the subconscious is also a result of this notion.
The writer gives the reader a chance to go beyond him/herself through thoughts entering into the thoughts of others where he/she has the free will of discovering how they operate both in their minds as well as in their subconscious. The life of people in and out of the presence of God is more of a theoretical supposition resulting from modernisms.
Another element of modern fiction is openness. It stands out as an aesthetic following the writer’s presentation of their works, novels, encounters, and poems. This element distinguishes the modern fiction from any other that has ever existed. It addresses openness on the issues of family, masculinity and feminism, the mind, not sparing bisexuality.
This on the other hand has led to an increased use of imagery in modern fiction, which has added beauty in the works of the authors. Following the introduction of this element in literature, the significant difference between the modern and the previous fictions arouses doubts, a case that has led to the shift on study. The shifts in politics influences modern fiction to a larger extend.
It depicts the changes in the social life, which ranges from country-town through personal-public to land-industry. There is also a significant change in the area of development and the peoples’ view of life, which is evident from Carl Max capitalism views.
In conclusion, modern fiction centers on the notions of doubt of spiritual or governmental institutions, individuality, and the skepticism of certainty. It makes a move from realism addressing the relevant shifts in both history and the society employing the element of openness as well as time and realism.
Works Cited
Childs, Peter. “Modernism: The New Critical Idiom” London: Continuum, 2007.
Most detective stories tend to use puzzle game as a style in the writing of books. The main idea behind use of puzzle games is to ensure the reader is involved in critical thinking thus make the story as interesting as possible. In the detective stories ‘Mysterious Affairs’ and ‘Silver Blaze’ the authors use puzzle game as a style of writing. Some elements of puzzle games in the two stories include: appropriate field settings; various player combinations; plan of goals; barriers and handicaps; clues; and rules of fair play.
First, appropriate field settings are evident in the two stories. The two stories take place in a social environment that is like a normal set up where people live in today. This gives a logical scene of the murder to the reader, making the reader to have familiar settings that are helpful in interpreting the rhymes correctly. In the ‘Silver Blaze’ the murder occurs in a stable where the horse had been locked in (Maida 36). Similarly in ‘Mysterious Affairs ‘the murder occurs in a country estate, where there are relatives, colleagues and travelers.
Secondly, goals are well planned in the two stories. Typically, it is not easy to ascertain the goals in puzzle games. In our case, everyone has the possibility of being a victim of murder. Christie demonstrates that the person to be killed would be vulnerable and that the innocent could suffer by bringing events upon themselves. Conon leaves the reader in a state of dilemma on the main suspect who would have undertaken the murder.
Thirdly, the element of barriers and handicaps is eminent in the two stories. The reader faces lots of difficulties in evaluating who the possible murderer is, as in the case of the renowned hidden identity in the “Silver Blaze”. Conon ensures that the reader cannot know the suspect from either the horse, Holmes or the family members.
Fourthly, clues have been used in the two stories. Clues are usually tricky since they could be false or genuine. However, when given a direct clue, one can easily arrive at an appropriate answer. Christie uses impersonation, hidden, and mistaken identity to makes sure that there is no definite clue which will assist the sleuth to come up with a suitable suspect.
Christie also builds up suspicion that assists the sleuth to uncover information, as exhibited in the act of trying to match cards on the table so as to come up with a solution (27). Moreover, Christie clearly displays a Janus-faced character that confuses everyone when he portrays different pictures thus deceiving the public (24). He does not allow the reader to get a straight forward formula. Instead, he ensures that the reader is able to invent imaginative variations that lead to formulation of a basic formula by use of clues.
Finally, the element of fair play has been used in the two stories. Puzzle games focus on fair play with the reader, ensuring that problem solving is less difficult. A fair game does not involve a lot of participants and must give consistent results. Christie manipulates the reader’s point of view by concealment and ambiguity as a result she gives a false picture (36).
Puzzle games assists the reader to anticipate as the mystery of the story unravels, be able to solve problems and view situations from different perspectives, especially those related to crime whereby out of a group of suspects, one individual turns out to be personally responsible.
Apart from use of puzzle games, another approach that would fit both stories would be use of riddles. This would be appropriate as it does not give direct answers, but allows someone to think wisely like in Ten Little Indians. Riddles also allow one to imagine the true scenario and to evaluate answers correctly.
In conclusion, the elements of puzzle games that are evident in the detective fiction story ensure that the reader gains more interest in the story. Significantly, puzzle game gives the reader a chance to actively participate through critical thinking. Puzzle games can be used to test someone’s thinking capacity.
Works Cited
Christie, Agatha. Witness for the Prosecution: A play in Three Acts. New York: S. French, 1982.
Maida, Patricia. Murder She Wrote: A Study of Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1982.
Vintage Season is an exquisite novella that is heavily based on science fiction. The plot mainly revolves around the visit of time travelers to an ordinary man Oliver in an unknown American city and can be compared to the current situation in our world. Overall, even though the novel is almost 80 years old, it perfectly captures the detail and nature of people’s lives in the modern world.
To begin with, it is interesting that Catherine Moore decides to call all the crucial points of the history vintage seasons. Naturally, from this essential detail stems the name of the story itself. Still, the similarity of the vintage seasons to the events related to the COVID-19 pandemic is beyond accurate. For instance, the main character, Oliver, believes that the time he lives in is the worst that could possibly happen to him (Turner). Nevertheless, it seems that time travelers think that this point in the past was beyond valuable to the future and their existence (Turner). The line that Kleph, the time traveler, says to Oliver, “There never was a May like it in civilized times,” is hard to understand for him (Moore, p. 81). The whole idea of this period of time being a turning point when The Blue Death (a disease) is defeated, and the cure is developed is unthinkable to him.
To sum up, it seems that Oliver’s beliefs are indeed similar to most people right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the public’s lives. In addition, the whole idea that these exceptionally challenging times for humanity may be crucial for our children and the next generations is unbelievable. Therefore, it makes Vintage Season so gripping and not similar to the stories that were written in those times.
When We Went to See the End of the World is an incredible story that shows the variety of people’s perceptions about their ends of the world. The main characters, Nick and Jane, usually host the parties, but once, they tell their friends about their experience of seeing the end of the world. Naturally, it encourages everyone else to do the same, but what they see on their so-called trip is the most gripping part of this story.
Surprisingly, the visitors of Nick and Jane also were lucky enough to go and witness the apocalypse. However, their stories were considerably different, but before they could accuse everyone of lying about their experiences, the other couple told a secret about them seeing someone special there (Silverberg). It seems that Robert Silverberg’s aim is to make readers think about whether the people were lying about their experiences or it was a matter of the future that was changed as the events happened in the story. In fact, it is safe to assume that every person somehow altered the future, and that is the reason why they saw different ends of the world. Nevertheless, the party’s guests could be focused on winning the contest of the best story of the world falling apart, considering that they could be affected by alcohol and other drugging materials.
To sum up, the idea of people being able to change their own future by performing actions that were not supposed to happen is gripping and amusing. Still, it is possible that the author wanted to show the true nature of humans who see everything as a contest that should be won by them. The arguable plot of the story makes the reader thoroughly think about Silverberg’s aim and his idea for this text.
Works Cited
Moore, Catherine. Vintage Season. Tor Books, 1990.
Silverberg, Robert. When We Went to See the End of the World. Subterranean Press, 2014.
Turner, Leigh. “‘Vintage Season’ – a Story for a Coronavirus Outbreak.” Leigh Turner/Robert Pimm: Novels, Short Stories and More, 2022, Web.
Zadie Smith is an English writer popular for her novels, essays, and short stories. Her novels have received awards and praise from many publications and organizations, including Time magazine. Her writing style is uniquely reflective and witty, and she incorporates a variety of techniques to keep the reader engaged. This paper will focus on her non-fiction essay work and an analysis of her writing style.
Patterns
A few patterns emerge when reading Zadie Smith’s non-fiction essays. Smith appears to be interested in reflecting on the past and using these reflections to create new ideas or overcome personal biases. These biases include not only the biases of the reader but also of herself. For example, in her essay for The New Yorker, titled “Some Notes on Attunement,” she explores how her perception of music changed over time. She describes her state of mind in a very informal way, even ending one of her paragraphs with a risqué statement such as this: “What did we need with white women?” (“Some Notes on Attunement”). Of course, this is not meant to be an inflammatory statement, as it only describes the opinion she had about music during her childhood. The article gradually transitions from her having no interest in white women singers to her being openly annoyed by them.
However, out of nowhere, she gains a deep appreciation for the experimental musician Joni Mitchell, whom she was once so annoyed by that she openly expressed those feelings. The article proceeds to analyze this situation, with Smith eventually finding it useful to stop trying to understand new forms of art and instead try to just experience them. Smith sums up this idea by saying this: “Put simply: you need to lower your defenses” (“Some Notes on Attunement”). She finishes the essay by talking about how different people have different sensibilities and how it would be interesting to experience her work through the perspective of other people. This idea of reflection and self-reflection on her and other’s beliefs are echoed in her essay titled “F. Kafka, Everyman” (Smith 57). It seems clear that to Smith, it is important to challenge the beliefs of her readers and herself to achieve new and more truthful ideas about a topic.
Image
Zadie Smith projects an image of a witty, smart, and slightly irreverent person. Her writing is interspersed with asides and tangents related to the topic at hand. These techniques are used both as a way to break up the pace of the essay and as a literary device that creates a more personal connection between the reader and the writer. For example, in “Some Notes on Attunement,” she repeats the words of her roommate—”You don’t like Joni?”—multiple times throughout the text to signify how these words followed her long after she had heard them (Smith, “Some Notes on Attunement”). This technique lets the reader peek inside her thought process, subsequently creating a deeper connection with the text.
Moreover, Smith often uses the words of her friends and even strangers she has encountered to create an informal tone to the text. In “F. Kafka, Everyman,” for example, Smith uses the following words she heard from a stranger: “But you’re quite wrong! I knew Mr. Kafka in Prague—and he was never late” (57). These words serve to add some levity by creating a witty antithesis to a previous statement presented in the paragraph, and at the same time, they show that the author is not taking herself too seriously. However, this informality does not discredit the major ideas of the text but rather supports them by reflecting on the need for people to review and consider their beliefs.
Idea
The idea of reflection may not always be the primary theme of the essay, but it is very common in all of Smith’s writing. Smith’s essay “Rereading Barthes and Nabokov” centers on the differences between the beliefs of Barthes and Nabokov regarding the nature of authorship (43). While their beliefs are similar, there are a few crucial differences that Smith covers in her essay. She talks about the idea of reading books multiple times to create a certain “floor plan” for the book, where the author might or might not be the author. This is shown in the following quote: “The only perfect tenant of the house that Nabokov built is Nabokov” (Smith, “Rereading Barthes and Nabokov” 52). She means that the nature and beliefs of Nabokov shape his writing to include the ultimate truth that he was trying to communicate through his subjective point of view. She continues the essay by discussing how readers can experience the inspiration and feel that the author felt if they can adjust their mindset to the author’s point of view. She finds this practice very rewarding, and the idea once again connects to her focus on changing beliefs and perceptions.
The same theme is represented in her essay “Their Eyes Were Watching God: What Does Soulful Mean?” This essay focuses on Smith realizing her inability to dislike the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Though the novel presents many literary techniques she finds to be cheap and meaningless, she nevertheless liked it. She describes her surrender like this: “I lost many literary battles the day I read Their Eyes Were Watching God” (Smith, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” 3). This essay is very emblematic of Smith’s work, which is perhaps the reason that she chose to open her book with it. Smith finds the experience of changing beliefs to be one of the most important to her. It is a valuable aspect that helps keep the reader’s mind open to new information and ideas.
Feeling
Throughout her essays, Smith expresses many different feelings, but a feeling of awe and discovery seems to be the most prominent in the essays I have read. For example, while reading “Some Notes on Attunement,” the reader can follow her journey of discovery through her self-reflection. It has a clear narrative arc for her character, and the attention to detail throughout the essay paints a very vivid journey. Even though the story starts with her being unsure of why she would want to listen to white women singers, she develops such a strong feeling toward Joni Mitchell’s music that she is unable to control it. Such feelings of awe are also present in her essays on Nabokov and Hurston. While describing their work, she marvels at their writing abilities with very infectious awe. Despite my dislike of Hurston as a person, I was unable to deny Smith’s adoration of her work and found myself considering reading “Their Eyes Were Watching God” sometime later. Her feelings sound truthful and are often relatable because people do tend to change their views on things over time. The witty and informal tone of her writing only serves to highlight those feelings.
Conclusion
Zadie Smith’s essays focus on the changing nature of human perception. By reflecting on experiences and beliefs, people can grow and change. Perhaps this opportunity for growth is why Smith finds this idea so compelling.
Works Cited
Smith, Zadie. “F. Kafka, Everyman”.Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays. Penguin, 2009, pp. 57-70.
“Rereading Barthes and Nabokov.“Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays. Penguin, 2009, pp. 41-56.
Death is a sensitive discussion and topic when it comes to fiction and story-telling. Certain instances of lapses may become apparent to readers no matter how good a writer may present it in all its forms as chronic cases, murder, killings, homicide, and even on suicide and terminal cases. Problems about biases, lapses, “holes” and presentation of data may leave readers a negative impression on the narrative itself or against the author.
This paper shall try to present stories about death and how their authors dealt with it throughout the narratives focussing on the significance of their endings and how the writers resolved the un-resolvable through the use of their own, unique approaches to story-telling.
Stories
“Killings” by Andre Dubus
This story is an emotional one that involves a family which loses a son at a young age to a wayward drunk just because he fell in love with a woman previously married. Nevertheless, while it is emotional, having to deal with death, the pain of losing a son, and having to deal with the sympathy of people around them, the story disguised the emotion of the individuals involved in the story, downplaying their turmoil. It instead presented as if a journalistic hard news report, a narration of what is seen and heard, what was perceived to have happened.
Dubus (2007) resolved writing the ending of the story with a justification of having the once-abused Matt Fowler, father of the murdered youth Frank Fowler, by providing a premise for the murder of Richard Strout, the drunkard who killed Frank. Matt was a peaceful ordinary small-town father who approved of his son’s relation to Mary Ann Strout, getting a divorced and with children. But his wife Ruth, probably influenced by maternal instinct, did not.
In the death of Frank, it was Ruth who was deeply affected and almost hysterical. While Matt could have been able to accept the reality of having to move on, Ruth was tortured of seeing her son’s murderer out on bail and the loose. The sympathetic eyes of the people around him added conviction on Matt to do something, which is to take Richard Strout’s life. In the end, the reader while may not be actually summoned to believe is convinced that a man can only take so much.
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
This story is a presentation of the inevitable encounter of death, whether it be by an individual or a group such as this family of six. From the beginning, the grandmother tried to keep the family away from the tragedy, for some reason or another. Throughout their journey, they were made aware of the presence of danger, which is the Misfits and his gang, within the area, towards Florida. But the family remained clueless.
O’Connor (2007) provided a lot of instances using symbolism such as the encounter of graves by the family while on their way to Florida, a hearse, an accident involving the car, stories of the people they encountered I their way to Florida indicating the cruelty and senselessness of the Misfits, here presented as a monster of the sort.
The grandmother, too, tried her best to dissuade the family from continuing with the journey to Florida. She provided an alternative place, she made excuses, and yet, on the day of the journey, she dressed her best and was the first to occupy her seat in the car. With her almost ubiquitous personality, she refused to be absent where the action could be (O’Connor, 2007).
The family eventually encountered the Misfits and their end. In fact, the grandmother once again played a crucial role in resurrecting the “good” side of the master Misfit in case he would have a change of heart. But O’Connor has shown along the way the absence of the “heart” of the Misfit’s head, indicating how he has seen the world as a grave itself.
Towards the end, the reader is convinced that with the narrative laid out, premises given by O’Connor, the family did deserve the death they sought for.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
Emily Grierson came from a wealthy family, with an influential father. She was as magnificent as her family house was when it was newly built, imposing among the common folks, almost unreachable. But a time came when the pride of Emily which she inherited from her aristocratic and proud father came tumbling down little by little.
But what was bygone had to impose itself on Emily, of which she soon was not able to relate. This includes the disintegration of the old house, as all of its residents one by one went to their grave, and only the old lady Emily left. Emily fell for the only man that pass by her way: Homer Baron. But he, too, became a victim of Emily’s disillusion with reality as she murdered the only person whom she thought she loves with the fear of losing him (Faulkner, 1993).
Conclusion
Dubus was able to present an emotional story disguised as a detached narration, almost a police report in its objectivity. The reader is given a factual count on what was seen, heard, and actually happened, devoid of the turmoil that might have tortured its characters. But the lead character was convincingly able to allude to the pressure of Matt’s wife as well as the sympathetic eyes of his neighbors and he was eventually swayed to do the inevitable: take justice into his own hands.
O’Connor on the other hand was almost religious and superstitious in the presentation of the narrative of the stubborn family. The author took the role of the deity through the grandmother who did her best to convince the family not to take the journey, delaying as much as she could. Beyond the grandmother, the author took the mythical route of keeping the family away from the danger of an inevitable encounter, ruthless as it seemed, as if to say, “I did my best to warn them, but they did not listen.” As it is, the reader will be left without sympathy to the murdered family any more than Misfits, as it seemed, everything was done to prevent it, but they did not take heed.
Faulkner used the pigment of recollection of the southern town folks to describe the situation of Emily Grierson. Various views of common folks are presented, even the imaginary which is the desire to dance with Emily when she was young and beautiful, among those males who were her age. The decline and decay of the family and of Emily including her sanity were likened to her family house which became old and has to cease existence.
Overall, the authors’ approaches to justifying death were varied, but with originality that is quite identifiable to real situations, from the past or even the present, and to places or neighborhoods that are real. They capitalized on the human reality of understanding and emotion in order to make their readers understand and relate.
Reference
Dubus, Andre (2007). “Killings” from The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 8th ed. (Michael Meyer, ed). Bedford/St. Martin. Pp 107-119.
O’Connor, Flannery (2007). “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 8th ed. (Michael Meyer, ed). Bedford/St. Martin. Pp 445-455.
Faulkner, William (1993). Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner. Modern Library. Pp 47-59.
Fiction is a literal technique that has expanded the boundaries of talented writers and endowed literature with imaginations. Science fiction is fiction that totally explores the scientific knowledge gathered and predicted, to bring into perspective some of the societal aspects that are common to the human race. One such work of scientific fiction if “SWARM” by Bruce Sterling.
Analysis
The story takes the reader through an intriguing encounter of human beings with a variety of extraterrestrial beings with the aim of outlining the theme of life. Although one might argue that life is a basic thing, very few appreciate the complexes that might surround life when seeking to survive in an environment where competition comes from more intelligent creatures. Sterling gives human beings a rather lower level in the pecking order as a way of outlining this fact. This can be seen from the conversation between Afriel and the Alien: “…we human are as children to other races…” (Shippey, p. 472). Sterling also seeks to outline the fact that life will not always provide persons with all that they want, but it will certainly provide them with the means to get what they want. Although the investor Alien looks down on humans, it admits that it likes to associate with them since they are flexibility in nature. Even in the world today success does not only mean being talented or clever, but it means being prudent, strategic and tactful. Sterling brings out the strategy employed by humans when doing business with Aliens. First Humans have ensured that they teach their ambassadors alien language (p. 473). Secondly, human beings have made their ambassadors very intelligent (p. 473). Finally, human beings have resolved to diplomacy rather than aggression. (p. 474). Tact is also demonstrated by Mirny by being able to tame two Swarms to protect her from other Swarms and in return she provides them with food.
Sterling also brings out the aspect of diversity. In describing the Swarm symbiote, it creates a vivid expression of an ugly being. Furthermore, the character of the Swarm symbiote is not very pleasant as it chews the pants of Afriel. However, Afriel still finds a way to co-exist with the Swarms. This outlines the importance of tolerance in a diverse environment. (p. 474) The way Afriel relates to the commander; who happens to be another alien demonstrates humility and tolerance. As Afriel and Mirny navigate the Swarm kingdom, there is a realization that Swarms are much more primitive and unintelligent (pp. 477-478). Even the investor Alien wonders why human beings would want to associate with Swarms (p. 472). However, as Mirny reveals to Afriel, within the Swarm kingdom there is a type of nutritious food that can grow in space.
Conclusion
Sterling’s work of fiction brings out various fundamental aspects concerning life. First, that competition is unavoidable due to limited resources. However, Sterling introduces aliens to bring out some basic concepts that would have been taken for granted in a real life literal piece. The investor Alien looks down upon human and feels that there is nothing that it can learn from them. Human beings on the other hand are aggressive and wishes to learn from other Aliens as much as they can regardless of their intelligence or form. Science fiction has allowed Sterling to explore extremities in terms of intelligence, ugliness and being primitive, to explain basic concepts about life. His emphasis is that life is not about intelligence, beauty or civilization but consists of basic concepts such as prudence, tact, humility and being strategic.
Work Cited
Shippey, Tom. The Oxford Book of Science Fiction. London: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Commercial and literary fiction are two different ways to narrate a story. Existing works can be divided into groups along these lines. This paper presents the analysis of two short stories. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane is a western tale written in 1898, about a marshal who goes to his hometown to get married. The second work, Soldier’s Home, was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1925. It is a story about a young man who came back to his home from the war. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the differences between commercial and literary fiction using these two stories as examples.
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky
This work is a striking example of commercial fiction. One of commercial fiction’s attributes is a distinct plot (Benedict). This short story describes a journey of a Texas marshal named Jack Potter to the town of Yellow Sky, where he is going to get married. However, Potter’s antagonist, Scratchy Wilson, plans to harass his enemy after the couple arrives in the town, though he later decides to leave him alone as Wilson sees the transformation Potter underwent.
Commercial fiction is aimed to appeal to the broad public (Benedict). The main characters are simplified and described shallowly, with different stereotypes and clichés employed by the author. The marshal’s wife is presented as a “clumsy and overly self-conscious” lady, and his opponent, Scratchy Wilson, is a “traditional Western villain” (“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Stories Summary and Analysis of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”). These approaches are intended to attract a wide range of readers. The lack of description serves to entertain the public.
In commercial fiction, characters must face and overcome difficulties (Allen). The marshal wants to start a new life, so he decides to change his status and intends to get married. Potter does not even take his firearm with him. However, the main character has concerns about other people’s opinions as “he has violated the traditions of the West” (“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Stories Summary and Analysis of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”).
The protagonist is good-natured in commercial fiction (Sinkhorn). The marshal is illustrated as a positive person. “He, the town policeman of Yellow Sky, was a man known, liked, and feared in his community” (Crane 18). The traits of a respectable man are appealing to most people. His behavior during the conversation with Wilson highlights Potter’s heroic male personality when he says “If you’re going to shoot me, you’d better begin now” (Crane 24). His will to choose a peaceful life serves to demonstrate the marshal’s admirable individuality.
Soldier’s Home
Soldier’s Home is a literary type of fiction. The work contains several attributes typical for this genre. For example, the plot of the story is not too obvious, hailed as “finely nuanced work” (Gale 2). It mostly consists of reflections and memories of the main character, Kerbs. He is a young man who went back home from the war. He does not want anything special, usually sleeping or hanging around all day. Finally, he has a conversation with his mother who tells Kerbs that “God has some work for everyone to do” implying that it is time to find a job (Hemingway 6).
The extensive development of the protagonist is another specific characteristic of a literary work (Benedict). The author shows the transformation of the Kerbs’ behavior and attitude. First, the young man tries to communicate with locals to tell them about the war, but “in time, he retreats into near silence” (Gale 5). He starts reading a book about the war and learns new facts. The author describes how the war changed his perception:
He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live alone without consequences. Besides he did not really need a girl. The army had taught him that. It was all right to pose as though you had to have a girl. Nearly everybody did that. But it wasn’t true. You did not need a girl. (Hemingway 3).
In the end, he decides to leave his home and find a new place to avoid further confrontation with his mother.
In literary fiction, the reader looks for details (Neugebauer). The author does not openly describe Kerbs’ emotions, so the reader has to comprehend it through the memories of various battles Kerbs fought in. The depression the hero suffers is one of the main reasons for his views. However, the author only implies these details, and the task to form a big picture falls to the reader.
Literary fiction is created for art (Neugebauer). This work shows the unique style of the author. He eliminates symbolism and imagery from the story to make it more objective and impartial. However, the author adds small details which imply a big message. For example, the hint of conformism in America before the war may be seen when he mentions that all students of the Methodist school wear the same collars. The author tries to remove excessive complexity without compromising the artistic value of the work.
Conclusion
The main characteristic distinguishing commercial and literary fiction from each other is the aim of the novel. This aspect determines the entirety of the work. Soldier’s Home aimed to pass on some ideas using literary devices. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky was created mainly for entertainment. Concise definitions of these categories are necessary to help readers to meet their expectations. While some people prefer simplicity, others need profound discourse. Therefore, publishers need to label novels in order to help readers choose the right book.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky. Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1970.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Hemingway, Ernest. Soldier’s Home. Learning in Focus, 1976.
The events illustrated in stories of the science fiction genre occur in a world that is in many ways different from reality. Nevertheless, through the clever use of literary elements, such as character development, setting, and symbolism, authors are able to connect their stories to the real world. Through such reflections, sometimes apparent and sometimes hidden, they hyperbolize the context, thus creating a contrast in the readers’ eyes.
Character Development
The character development element might be science fiction’s most substantial reality reflector. As in real life, characters of fictional stories are individuals with defined personalities and specific traits. Consequently, the changes these characters undergo throughout the story can be considered essential in conveying the author’s message. Understanding that their occurrence is possible without adding any fictional elements is vital. However, fiction allows for amplifying the reasons behind character development.
In Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder,” Eckles, an overconfident hunter, buys himself a trip to the past via a time machine to hunt a dinosaur. His confidence is evident at the story’s beginning when he angrily accuses his instructors of trying to scare him while signing a contract (Bradbury 57). Nevertheless, his boldness slowly evaporates as their team ventures into the wild jungle and ultimately fails him in the dinosaur encounter, leading him to make grave mistakes. The situation is remarkably similar to when people overestimate themselves to the point that they begin to pose a danger to the people around them.
In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut took the idea of equality and elevated it to the extreme – people in his story are forcefully equalized by external means, such as masks, handicap bags, and ear radios. These measures are burdensome to their wearers – people with the potential to be better than average are not allowed to develop further. Their thought process is constantly interrupted, making the characters forget the events that occurred only a few minutes ago (Vonnegut). This way, it becomes apparent that all that glitters is not gold – societal ideals might not be as “ideal” as they appeal.
“I, Robot” contains several short stories, each has a different plot and message, and each can serve as an example. For instance, the “Robbie” story explores the topic of prejudice and discrimination, a topic that can be easily associated with contemporary societal issues. Due to the fear of robots, Mrs. Weston persuades Mr. Weston that a robot nursemaid – Robbie – is dangerous and should be taken away from their daughter (Asimov). Later, however, it is shown that only Robbie could protect the daughter from inevitable death, which refutes the prejudice in Mrs. Weston’s eyes.
Setting
Science fiction’s setting generally reflects contemporary technologies in their advanced forms, illustrating their possible effect on society. Unlike the fantasy genre, sci-fi elements have at least moderately reasonable explanations attributable to the real world, making the analogies more straightforward to comprehend and the fiction more believable. Most of the time, the story takes place in the future or an alternative universe, which is used to create contrast and highlight important details.
“A Sound of Thunder” events occur in the middle of the 21st century. By that time, according to Bradbury, humankind was able to construct a time machine and had already implemented it as a means of entertainment (59). Readers can decipher that democracy is still a preferred form of government – characters speak of presidential elections that occurred before the main events. In the end, it is uncovered that the characters’ actions had led to changes in election outcomes, and a more totalitarian leader had achieved victory. Possibly, it implies that even the most minor factors can cause an avalanche effect.
In turn, “Harrison Bergeron” looks further into the future, illustrating the events closer to the 21st century’s end. Despite the technology not representing little to no improvements – regular television and radio – the government had managed to bestow strict equalizing rules on its citizens, which indicates substantial societal shifts. Consequently, the readers are given a chance to draw their own conclusions based on the unfolding events in an attempt to answer the story’s central question of equality.
Finally, since “I, Robot” was written in the middle of the previous century, it should be considered a projection of a possible future despite its overlap with the current time. Asimov emphasizes robotics as one of the primary technological advances of human civilization and illustrates the implications of the three famous laws of robotics through the eyes of a psychologist. The co-existence of the familiar human society and robots provides various references to reality, such as issues of equality, discrimination, and change of perspective, serving as a perfect fertile ground for elaboration.
Symbolism
Not all ideas represented in science fiction possess a literal form – some of them are projected by specific symbols and indirect references. Symbolism in literature can serve various purposes that range from deepening included thoughts to increasing readers’ engagement through recognizable features. Consequently, if a symbol is correctly perceived and interpreted, the reader is able to grasp the author’s logic and better understand the story’s events.
As was mentioned earlier, Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” explores the topic of time-traveling. In this context, the concept of the so-called “butterfly effect” belongs among the most recognizable and controversial issues. In short, it poses a question of a causal relationship between past and upcoming events – even a tiny, seemingly irrelevant factor can exponentially change the future. In the story, the factor that dramatically changes the characters’ reality is a butterfly that Eckles unintentionally stepped on in the past (Bradbury 67). This way, the author references the butterfly effect concept and explains the outcome of the illustrated time travel.
In “Harrison Bergeron,” among other tools, Vonnegut uses irony to convey his message. To further emphasize the contrast between what is expected of total equality in the real world and what is showcased in the story, the author uses the same symbol for ultimate freedom and the main control lever. As Harrison Bergeron and the ballerina freely danced together, leaping “like deer on the moon,” the same moon in the face of Diana Moon Glampers ended their freedom (Vonnegut). One possible explanation for such a substitution is highlighting this future’s wrongness.
“I, Robot” is filled with various symbols and metaphors as well. Coming back to the “Robbie” short story, the symbol of phobia – fear despite a lack of logical reasoning or clear evidence – was personified in Mrs. Weston. Consequently, this character can serve as an example of all possible phobia’s manifestations in reality. Namely, the author illustrates what emotional devastation it can bring to people, showing how inconsolable Mrs. Weston’s daughter had become in Robbie’s absence.
Conclusion
There are many ways for an author to convey his message, and fictional elements belong among them. Serving as a hyperbolized reflection of reality, they allow readers to perceive the author’s point due to the contrast it creates. For instance, character development may be caused by reasons impossible in reality. In addition, certain details of the illustrated setting may be highly exaggerated. Finally, references and concepts may be hidden in small details, a game of words, or even characters. Nevertheless, the seeming impossibility of unfolded events does not come at the expense of perception – it merely provides the readers with a comparison.
Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. “A Sound of Thunder.” R Is for Rocket. Doubleday, 1978, 58-67.
Roger Luckhust devoted one of his works to the study of American science fiction. He tried to concentrate on the genre and category of fiction elements disclosing the forms and historical elements of fiction formation. Luckhust investigated the development of science fiction in deferent periods of literature domination. The assessment of basic fiction elements is predominantly connected with the combination of cultural-historical facts with techno-scientific changes of the society for the previous centuries. The analysis of this genre focuses on the series of fiction works with the purpose of disclosure of unique qualities of fiction theory.
The author concentrates on the perception of science fiction at the period of 1960-1990s. The history of technology and science contributes to the formation of contextual material of science fiction. Interference of social sciences appeared to be the basic element of fiction critical theory. Luckhust showed science fiction as genre related to the literature of modernization. Science fiction modulates the transformation of human technological and scientific approaches embodied in popular genres. The interaction of American and British fiction covers the involvement of political, economic and cultural history developed in the state.
Luckhust stressed that Special concerns raised in the book Science Fiction were connected with the genre disclosure of particular historical moments in fiction works instead of globalization. Science fiction is aimed at reflecting the production conditions. In one of the chapters the author showed the influence of Modernism on the science fiction formation in 1960s. He stated that machinic mass production of the USA being popular at that period formed the basic aspects of science fiction themes.
The boundaries of the aesthetic realm were being stretched by new materials and methods drawn from the world of non-art – for example, from industrial technology, and this would challenge the boundaries of high and low art since this distinction was based on a now outmoded “evaluation of the difference between unique and mass-produced objects” (ch.7, p. 147).
Later the development of science fiction turned into the reflection of historical events; such literature situation could be observed in the Golden age of the Science fiction. The book managed to illustrate major examples known from the history of science fiction development such as the embodiment of modernity in the mythological science fiction devoted to Jerry Cornelius written by Moorcock’s and the investigation of technological environment through his work (ch, 8, p. 160).
The contribution of the science fiction to the literature of modernity can be observed on the basis of historical elements substitution. Luckhust strived to note that science fiction texts are to be perceived for the articulation and imaginative reinvention of such categories identities as sexuality, gender, religion, class, race etc. The author highlighted the fact that science fiction is related to the literature of those societies who are technologically saturated. The influence of Mechanism on the formation of Science fiction elements makes it reflect human subjectivity and cultural life. Mechanized modernity starts for the purpose of speed change acceleration and life rhythm transformation. The texts of science fiction are considered to capture various forms of fleeting fantasies of modernity.
Luckhust concentrated on the generalization of the notion “Mechanism”. One should not perceive this primitively reflective only the meaning of machine. It is a complex phenomenon disclosing spiritual and internal processes of humanity. The role of science fiction is quite global and centralized by many critics. (Luckhust, ch. 9) According to general critical position the literature of science fiction impacts the formation both of inner personal world and major spheres of social activities. It is a mixture of unreal world and real aspects of human life. The authors of science fiction works try to show the connection between half-life elements and false reality. The involvement into fiction elements gives an opportunity to evaluate the difference between reality and illusion, timelines and sophisticated traps of unreal conditions (Dick, 1991).
The introduction of Mechanism underwent certain interpretations covering series of metaphorical associations such as superficial, harsh, inflexible, industrial, vulgar etc. The genre of science fiction can be analyzed as one of the elements of cultural and philosophical discourse measuring Mechanism aspects. Science fiction works should contain the literature elements being close to reality even if it is artificial. The disclosure of complex Fantasy or Gothic tropes is to be avoided; the principle forms of science fiction text should be understandable even for the readers of low intelligence. The mixture of standardized literature aspects with global technological changes of the society reflects the time shift of any social group or the state. Thus, China Mieville in the fiction Perdido Street Station managed to combine Victorian era technology and basic elements of the world fantasy. Such fantasies involving Mechanism were at issues for science fiction historians, especially in previous centuries (Mieville, 2001). Taking into account modern position of the literature world and the development of technological era one should stress that science fiction perception was changed. It appeared to be a kind of propaganda for inventors; the manner of fiction presentation was based on qualified judgments and more strict arguments. According to some postmodernists modern world can relate to the one of science fiction. Cultural impact and rapid technological development influence the Mechanism interference with science fiction texts; the authors try to reflect modernized aspects of reality through some artificial forms. Luckhust managed to combine the gradual formation of Mechanism sphere with cultural development of the society.
So, science fiction literature is complicated in structure covering various technological and historical elements through metaphorical associations. As Luckhust managed to show the Mechanism impact on the development and human perception of science fiction literature is quite significant.
References
Luckhust, Roger. Science Fiction. Polity, 305 p. 2005.
Dick, K. Phillip. Ubik. Vintage, 224 p. 1991.
Mieville, China. Perdido Street Station. Del Rey, 720 p. 2001.
To Live is one of Yu Hua’s most famous novels. In this essay, I am going to discuss which period of time is biased and which ones are not. Later, I will argue that the reasons why Yu Hua is biased against a particular period. This essay is written to argue that Yu Hua is biased against Cultural Revolution because in his book he depicts the revolution as violent as it was in reality.
The impact of the revolution was that China experienced a social, political and economical change. The movement begun in 1966 and it is considered to have only ended with the death of Mao in 1976. It was characterized by serious chaos and economic conflicts across the country and many people lost their lives. As far as Yu Hua’s novel is concerned the main character’s family gets dramatically affected by the revolution.
The violence and brutality that raged the nation was embedded in the youths (Tyson and Tyson 145). The movement spread and was eventually evident in military, party administration and other work places (Braester 78). The communists in Fugui village were ignorant of any political movements in their country and consequently, they lost the target.
When they first experienced the revolution, Fugui states that the people were initially average daily workers and understanding the ideology behind it was complex. This was not because they did not care about the nation issues but rather they never understood anything about it. Politics and the concerns of the past lifestyle impacted on his life negatively after the communists took control.
Summary of the novel, To Live by Yu Hua.
Xu Fugui was a landlord’s son. Because Xu liked to gamble, he lost all his wealth and house to his neighbor Long Er. In order to survive, Xu wanted to borrow money from Long Er, but he was refused. In the Chinese civil war, Xu was forced to join the Guomindang’s army, but he was captured by communists.
Xu knew Chun Sheng in the communist army, and he pleased communists by playing the drama, so he received a certificate. In the Land Reform, Long Er did not want to hand in the house and he burnt it, but he was later executed. Xu’s daughter, Feng Xia, became ill. Later Xu’s son died because the carelessness of the doctors at the health facility.
The boy was drained all his blood during the process of donating blood to the wife of Cun Sheng; she had lost a lot of blood while giving birth. Apparently, the doctors there could not stop the bleeding and the alternative to save the life of the magistrate (Cun Sheng) was to get blood donation. It is a very sad occasion when Fugui’s son who happens to the only match for magistrate’s wife gets drained and looses a lot of his blood, gets dizzy and dies while the doctor in charge just watches on.
The same problem is seen later after Feng Xia, Fugui’s daughter dies during child bearing. Wan Erxi brings Red Guard to Fugui and becomes his son in law (Esherick 67). Erxi seems a better future husband for the daughter and even the entire family of Fugui. However, despite that he suffers the impact of communism governance since he loses his wife during child bearing.
Erxi himself dies. The young man intending to marry is a soldier of the Red Guard. Feng Xia later married to this soldier. The two enjoy their marriage, showing great dedication and zeal to live together as lovers and productive members of the society. Unfortunately, the marriage is short-lived. Once again the impact of communism mismanagement is seen. This time it’s the marriage of Feng Xia, at stake.
Fugui once again witnesses the carelessness of the doctors at the health facilities. He had already lost his son during child bearing process. Feng Xia died in the Cultural Revolution because he lost too much blood in delivering her son. There is no doctors in the cultural revolution period as this is evidently shown as Fugui loses three of his loved ones (son, daughter, and son-in-law) in the same hospital.
It’s almost certain that when one goes to the hospital, there are very slim chances of surviving. This is the reason why when Fugui is told about the accident of his son-in-law, and that he was taken to hospital, Fugui is certain that Erxi is going to die. This turns out just as Fugui thought; his son-in-law dies on job while they are caring very heavy slabs for construction. At this point, it’s only Fugui and his grandson surviving.
To Live is not biased to any period depicted in the novel
The novel is not biased against the nationalist period
In the nationalist period, Yu Hua is not biased. The first episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period is that Xu Fugui is rich and he did not have to work, but his neighbors were poor. Historically, the landlord did not have to work because many people had to work for them. In fact, the novel reveals Fugui’s family status when lots of people called them “masters”, and did all the necessary work for them.
Some workers even had to carry the young master on their backs. Admittedly, the beginning of the story is basically a predictable one and in a very short length, Fugui has already squandered all the fortune he was left with (Mac Farquhar and Schoenhals 79). This change of the status leads Fugui to Guomindang.
Thus, second episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period is that Xu Fugui’s was pulled by the Guomindang to be a soldier fighting against communists. Historically, the Guomindang pulled millions of people to be its soldiers during the civil war. In history, this war ‘civil war’ between nationalism and communism ardent supporters was fought from 1927.
The revolutionary party had split into the nationalists and communists resulting into the worst civil war in the region. The third episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period is that the civil war ended in the victory of the communist ideology. Admittedly, the communists took total control of every sphere of Chinese people life (Braester 22).
The fourth episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period is that a lot of lives were lost. Historically, there are many people recorded to have died because of the conflict that existed in China. Many people lost their lives in the fight and many families were left in misery (Nicolas 467). Thus, in the novel when Fugui comes home after the war, things are not any better. All of the above four examples support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period.
The novel is not biased against the Land reform period
In the Land reform period, Yu Hua is not biased. The first episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against this period is that landlords lost their land to the government which in turn redistributed it to the poor people. Historically, a scrupulous land reform by the Communists was initiated in 1946.
Landlords saw their land and other property get expropriated and redistributed to the poor so that every family in the rural areas would get equal share of land (Weili and Xiaodong 121). The second episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the land reform period is that landlords were actually killed if they resisted the directive by Mao to relinquish land.
Historically, there was conflict between the social classes in China with the poor fighting against the rich. The land lord who resisted the change was labeled counter-revolutionist and they were executed by the government. It was in such conflict that Long Er was killed by fate. This is almost the same time that is indicated in history as well as in the novel (Lin 98). The third episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the land reform period is that the land was communally owned by the people and not individuals.
Historically, Mao instituted policies that only allowed community to own land and not individuals. Thus, people have to work hard in the commune fields and have nothing from their harvest since commune gave the “necessary” amount of food. People did not have their own farms or other property, there were communes. The fourth episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the land reform period is that every family brought out their product to the community and they worked under a team leader on the farm.
Fugui‘s son constantly feeds the goats that belong to the community. Historically, the Chinese would cultivate land as a community where they would have food products stored in one central place. Families would then be given food in a rationing program. All of the above four examples support that Yu Hua is not biased against the nationalist period”.
The novel is not biased against the Great Leap Forward period
In the Great Leap Forward period, Yu Hua is not biased. The first episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against this period is that, people were forced to abandon their individual work and farms to concentrate on working for the small iron smelting plant for industrial revolution strategy.
The land reforms activities went on for over a decade and even when the Great Leap Forwards was instituted in 1950s, individual were still being forced to form collectives that had groups of people in categories known as People’s Communes.
Their ownership of property rights was managed centrally. The second episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is biased against the land reform period is that was intended to bring a change from agriculture to industrial development. Historically, The Great Leap Movement was set up by the PRC as its main social and economic plan that would see the country improve its operation form the agrarian economy to the Modern and industrialized society.
The directives of Mao prohibited private forms and those who defied were labeled counter-revolutionist and executed (Esherick 67). The third episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is biased not against the land reform period is that the great leap led to a serious famine in the history of the Chinese people. Historically, when introduction of industry was effected in the Chinese villages, villagers are overwhelmed by the idea because they thought that they would make a lot of products from the smelting plant.
The five year plan of agriculture (1953-1957) failed to work out successfully and the problems worsened. Food rationing was introduced to ensure that at least everybody got some food for the day. The fourth episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the land reform period is that the famine caused the loss of humanity. As indicated in the novel, as families struggle to get some food. In fact, Fen Xia cries and fights when Wang taken her potato, she could have killed her if the crowd had not screamed for Wang to duck.
When Jianzem gets rice from her father to make some porridge, the whole village comes to her homestead after seeing the smoke from her chimney. Historically, food rationing was introduced and that left people with very little food on the table. However, it was not enough and the famine led to over 20 million deaths and it was characterized by horrible crimes. All of the above four examples support that Yu Hua is not biased against the land reform period.
The novel is not biased against the Cultural Revolution
In the Cultural Revolution, Yu Hua is not biased. The first episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against this period is that the death of Youqing was as a result of Cultural Revolution. The act has been linked to the current bloodsucking acts of mismanagement.
Historically, Mao believed that there was so much progress that had taken place in China and that there new class of individuals including engineers, doctors and other prominent, members of the society had gained so much power at his expense. These people became targets of his government. The second episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the Cultural Revolution that Feng Xia died because of negligence on the side of the doctors.
Historically, when Mao took over power, he influenced the youth to leave school and join the Red Guard. The blunders that the red guards group causes in the hospital are so grave that the doctors find that there is nothing they can do about Feng Xia over bleeding, she ends up dying. The third episode from the novel to support that Yu Hua is not biased against the Cultural Revolution is that Chunsheng was killed because of the Cultural Revolution.
Historically, the number of people who were tortured and killed because of opposing Mao was uncountable. The damage caused in the mind of the people is beyond description. The third reason why he is not biased against Cultural Revolution is that the novel depicts how average Chinese people were to sacrifice everything. Thus, Yaqui dies after being drained a lot of blood to save Chunsheng’s wife.
Admittedly, the communist party cared more about the idea than the people themselves. Average communists had to sacrifice everything, even their lives. The forth reason why the author is not biased against Cultural Revolution is that he depicts the Red Guard activities which terrified and killed people. Historically, the Red Guard was a strong but too radical group of young people who killed thousands of innocent people. All of the above four examples support that Yu Hua is not biased against the Cultural Revolution period.
The novel is not biased against any period
The first reason why Yu Hua is not biased against any period (especially the period of the Cultural revolution) is that he was born in 1960. The Cultural Revolution broke out while he was a child. He witnessed the initiation of the movement and as a result, he also saw the devastating outcomes that emerged as people fought each other and also the collapsing infrastructure as evident in bad health facilities. Yu Hua does not explicitly explain the purpose of the revolution.
This makes the movement to be seen as a project without objective (Wen & Jones 104). However, this makes his novel even more explicit since not many people understood the reason for that insanity. Thus, Yu Hua cannot be biased since he takes the inner sight on the life of average Chinese people who wanted to live. Besides, being a member of the society he can grasp the experiences of older people, he watches and listens carefully what is going on in his country.
In fact, Yu Hua reveals the experience of the entire nation. He even once said that he had “the soul of a hundred year old man” since he saw the years of poverty and despair and the years of prosperity and hope (Standaert, “Interview with Yu Hua”). The second reason that he is not biased against any period is that the book is written in 1993 when the China gas opened its door to the rest of the world.
Despite the ban to publish this book in China it is best seller world-wide, and even in China lots of people do read it and have the courage to admit that it is their history. Moreover, nowadays Chinese people are different, they are west oriented, if it is possible to say that. Even Yu Hua admits that young people are totally different and, in fact, they are open to the new life (Standaert, “Interview with Yu Hua”). This new life presupposes all human freedoms, including the right to express your thoughts explicitly.
Besides, that very period, 1993, was favorable for the novel’s publishing since new powers grew stronger and criticized heavily some of previous policies including the Cultural Revolution. Even the government which was at that time controlled by the right wing of the party condemned the suffering and deaths of all the innocent people who were victims of the revolution. One more reason why the novel cannot be biased is that critics say it has become “a cultural emblem” (Standaert, “Interview with Yu Hua”).
Thus, many people see that the book reveals the true story of Chinese people through those hard times. The third reason that Yu Hua is not biased against any period is that after the Cultural Revolution people started paying attention to humanity. Thus, he reveals all those horrors for didactic purpose – to show people what happens when humanity is lost. Historically, many people in the 1970-80 tried to develop the ideas of humanity by cultural actions.
Many literary works, movies and other media sources tried to propagate the major principles of humanity. For instance, the novel reveals the story of a man who lost everything in his life, his fortune, his parents, his beloved and his children, but he still has a “positive attitude to life” (Standaert, “Interview with Yu Hua”). This can be also a reflection of one of the humanity principles. People should remain humans even if their lives bring lots of difficulties.
The novel reveals that many people died because of indifference, ignorance and cruelty. Thus, it is the time to stop, think it over and move on helping and supporting each other. It is very important that modern Chinese people understand that and follow those main principles of humanity. They know what grave consequences may any revolution cause, so they work and build their new great country.
The forth reason why he is not biased is that Yu Hua is quite indifferent to political ideologies. He is not any party’s activist, thus, he can see all the historical events without that ideological prism. He does not believe in the necessity of terror to maintain the order like the communists thought. He should not look for excuses for any party since he is not the leader of any of them. Yu Hua propagates peace and humanity.
He only believes that people need TO LIVE, but not die or kill each other. Of course, he exaggerates some facts and events in his novel, but he is doing that deliberately because he believes that books should be expressive to stay in readers’ memories since simple figures and facts fade away rapidly, but emotions remain forever (Standaert, “Interview with Yu Hua”).
So, even these exaggerations do not make the book biased since they only stress the gravity of historic events. Thus, all of the above four examples support that Yu Hua is not biased against any period.
To Live is not biased to any period due to its historic truthfulness and author’s political disinterest and social activity.
In a word, Yu Hua is not biased against any of depicted periods because he depicts all the periods in accordance with the true historic events which is supported by other reliable sources. Besides, he is not biased since he can be called a witness of many of events revealed in the novel.
Finally, he is not biased due to his political indifference and the absence of some political incentives since the book is published in 1993 when the China is open to the rest of the world. Of course, sometimes Yu Hua exaggerates some of the facts, but this only enhances the realism and truthfulness of the novel. Therefore, while we are reading a novel which is based on historical events, we must be very careful.
Works Cited
Braester, Yomi. Witness against History: Literature, Film, and Public Discourse In Twentieth-Century China. Stanford, Ca: Stanford University Press, 2003. Print.
Esherick, Joseph, Pickowicz, Paul and Walder, Andrew G. The Chinese Cultural Revolution as History, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006. Print.
Hua, Yu. To Live. North Shore City, NZ: Tandem Library Press, 2003
Lin, Qingxin. Brushing History against the Grain: Reading the Chinese New Historical Fiction, 2002. Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong: University Of Hong Kong Press, 2002. Print.
Macfarquhar, Roderick and Schoenhals, Michael. Mao’s Last Revolution. London: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.
Nicolas Werth, Karel Bartošek, Jean-Louis Panne, Jean-Louis Margolin, Andrzej Paczkowski, Stéphane Courtois. The Black Book Of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Harvard: Harvard University Press,1999.Print.
Standaert, Michael. “Interview with Yu Hua.” University of Iowa International Writing Program, 30 August 2003. Web.
Tyson, James and Tyson Ann. Chinese Awakenings. Life Stories from the Unofficial China. Denver, Colorado: Colorado West view Press, 1995. Print.
Vernoff, Edward and Seybolt, Peter. Through Chinese Eyes: Tradition, Revolution, and Transformation, Westborough, MA: Apex Press, 2007. Print.
Weili Ye, Xiaodong Ma. Growing Up In the People’s Republic: Conversations between Two Daughters of China’s Revolution, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.
Wen, Chihua and Jones, Bruce. The Red Mirror: Children of China’s Cultural Revolution. Colorado: West view Press, 1995. Print.
Yang, Dali. Calamity and Reform in China: State, Rural Society and Institutional Change since the Great Leap Famine. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1996. Print.