Genesis of Social Satire in Chinese Fiction during 1930s: Lu Xun and Lao She
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-1-264-278
Abstract
This study investigates the emergence and development of a new genre system in early twentieth-century Chinese literature. It draws on prose works by prominent writers from modern China to examine their contributions to literary innovation. Comparative analysis is conducted between satirical short stories by Lu Xun (1881–1936) and novels with elements of fantasy by Lao She (1899–1966) and Zhang Tianyi (1906–1985). It demonstrates that the search for novel generic forms occurred within an environment characterized by rejection of traditional artistic consciousness and transition towards individual creativity. The author argues that exposure to foreign literatures, particularly nineteenth-century English authors, influenced these creators' approach to social satire. A theoretical framework for understanding the evolution of this genre is presented, tracing its roots back to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century vernacular fiction. This work contributes significantly to our understanding of literary life in pre-war China through exploring the transformation of genre systems and the birth of hybrid genres combining social critique and fantasy. Its originality lies in being the first Russian Sinological investigation into such processes, thereby enriching comparative studies of Sino-Western literary influences.
About the Author
N. V. Zakharova
А. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Россия
Россия
Natalia V. Zakharova, Doctor of Philology
Moscow
References
1. A. Ying. (2009). The history of the prose of the late Qing. Nanjing: Jiangsu Wenyi chubanshe Publishing House. 194 p. (In Chin.).
2. Fedorenko, N. T. (1981). Lao She and his work. Moscow: Progress Publ. 5—16. (In Russ.).
3. Fishman, O. L. (1966). Chinese satirical novel. Moscow: Nauka Publ. The main editorial office of Oriental literature. 195 p. (In Russ.).
4. Genieva, E. Y. (1991). English prose of the 70s—90s. In: The History of World Literature in nine volumes, 7. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 327—334. ISBN 5-02-011439. (In Russ.).
5. Hsia, C. T. (1961). A History of Modern Chinese Fiction, 1917—1957. New Haven: Yall-University Press. 726 p.
6. Hu Huaichen. (2006). The study of Chinese narrative prose. Beijing: Zhongguo shuji chubanshe Publishing House. 182 p. (In Chin.).
7. Pozdneeva, L. D. (1959). Lu Xin. Life and work. Moscow: Moscow University Press. 572 p. (In Russ.).
8. Qian Lijun., Wen Zhumin., Wu Fuhui. (2024). Three Decades of Modern Chinese Literature (1917—1949). Moscow: Nauka Publ. Oriental Literature. 775 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040593-6. (In Russ.).
9. Semanov, V. I. (1967). Lu Xin and his predecessors. Moscow: Nauka Publ. The main editorial office of Oriental literature. 148 p. (In Russ.).
10. Semanov, V. I. (1970). The evolution of the Chinese novel. The end of the XVIII — beginning of the XX century. Moscow: Nauka Publ. The main editorial office of Oriental literature. 343 p. (In Russ.).
11. Voskresensky, D. N. (1994). Chinese literature. In: History of World literature in nine volumes, 8. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 600—610. (In Russ.).
12. Wang Weiping., Xu Baodan. (2022). The influence of Chinese and Western literature on the formation of satirical and humorous novels by Zhang Tianyi. Scientific Notes of the National University of Xinan Province, 3—01: 15—28. (In Chin.).
13. Wen Zhumei. (1988). Transformations of Realism in New Literature. Beijing: Publishing house of Beijing University. 301 p. (In Chin.).
14. Zakharova, N. V. (2023). The activity of the Society for the Study of Literature as a factor in the formation of realism in China. Philological Sciences. Scientific reports of the higher school, 4: 163—168. DOI: 10.20339/PhS.4-23.163. (In Russ.).
15. Zakharova, N. V. (2025). “Yü Sī” (“Threads of Words”) Literary Society and Birth of Modern Chinese Essayism. Nauchnyi dialog, 14 (3): 178—195. https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-3-178-195.(In Russ.).
Review
For citations:
Zakharova N.V. Genesis of Social Satire in Chinese Fiction during 1930s: Lu Xun and Lao She. Nauchnyi dialog. 2026;15(1):264-278. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-1-264-278
Views:
73
JATS XML
Email this article 