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ostrava's review against another edition
5.0
Lu Xun's early work is considered to be a cornerstone of modern literature. And yet, his most famous short story, and the one that was included in the Bokkluben reading guide, is something of a rehash of Gogol's short story of the same name. Does this justify his reverence not just in China, but in all of Asia?
Well... yes. I imagine it's the case. It radically changed the drive of literary conversation of an entire nation, challenged both language and culture in one single creative movement and drove it all with a critique towards the prison of the old.
But it doesn't exactly feel like that either. In A Madman's Diary, Lu Xun walks a thin line between the critique and a more ambiguous and therefor, open challenge towards the "prison". A challenge towards a perception of love and a social drive motivated by greed and power, which were influenced by his then premature political views. It is an allegory, but it's also... a bit more. Like a good tale by Kafka, a superficial reading is a wasteful one.
But the best story by Lu Xun has to be AQ. This one is a tale deeply troubled by the mentality of success of his hometown, which is also written in such a manner than most people should be able to understand, regardless of your disconnect with Chinese culture (which is my case). Who knows, maybe by the end you might even learn a few things on China, or at least, what China means to people like Lu Xun. AQ is a very defined character, with clear flaws and... well not much else, but deep down, a human being like the rest of us, influenced by his pals on what to aspire, however, without the tools for improvement (incapacity to read, no one to rely on as he has no family members, or friends, or a clique...). You could read it as a critique of the old prison too of course, and of traditionalism, Chinese nationalism, and so on... but yeah, you would have to know about it to make such a statement. I have no relation to China, so my comments on it would be ridiculously unwelcome. I'm very sure that the story can be enjoyed without that sort of reading though.
Come to think of it, this is the only Chinese work in the list. So, the Red Chamber didn't make the cut? Well... I'm sure somebody is pissed off about it. Not that these things matter but...I find it odd that people would vote for the Chinese short story as opposed to the Chinese novel.
I guess size isn't everything after all...
Well... yes. I imagine it's the case. It radically changed the drive of literary conversation of an entire nation, challenged both language and culture in one single creative movement and drove it all with a critique towards the prison of the old.
But it doesn't exactly feel like that either. In A Madman's Diary, Lu Xun walks a thin line between the critique and a more ambiguous and therefor, open challenge towards the "prison". A challenge towards a perception of love and a social drive motivated by greed and power, which were influenced by his then premature political views. It is an allegory, but it's also... a bit more. Like a good tale by Kafka, a superficial reading is a wasteful one.
But the best story by Lu Xun has to be AQ. This one is a tale deeply troubled by the mentality of success of his hometown, which is also written in such a manner than most people should be able to understand, regardless of your disconnect with Chinese culture (which is my case). Who knows, maybe by the end you might even learn a few things on China, or at least, what China means to people like Lu Xun. AQ is a very defined character, with clear flaws and... well not much else, but deep down, a human being like the rest of us, influenced by his pals on what to aspire, however, without the tools for improvement (incapacity to read, no one to rely on as he has no family members, or friends, or a clique...). You could read it as a critique of the old prison too of course, and of traditionalism, Chinese nationalism, and so on... but yeah, you would have to know about it to make such a statement. I have no relation to China, so my comments on it would be ridiculously unwelcome. I'm very sure that the story can be enjoyed without that sort of reading though.
Come to think of it, this is the only Chinese work in the list. So, the Red Chamber didn't make the cut? Well... I'm sure somebody is pissed off about it. Not that these things matter but...I find it odd that people would vote for the Chinese short story as opposed to the Chinese novel.
I guess size isn't everything after all...
saraxuherondale's review against another edition
5.0
Finished this in one day, I really really enjoyed it! It is pretty obvious why Lu Xun was the face of the revolution after reading this!
callumbooth's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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