Nghệ thuật tiểu thuyết diêm liên khoa tt tiếng anh

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

NGUYEN THI THUY HANH

THE ART OF YAN LIANKE'S NOVELS

Major: Foreign literature
Code: 9 22 02 45

SUMMARY OF PHD DISSERTATION

HA NOI, 2019


THIS DISSERTATION IS ACCOMPLISHED AT
GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

MENTOR: Associate Professor. Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Chanh

Reviewer 1: Professor. Dr Loc Phuong Thuy
Reviewer 2: Associate Professor. Dr Do Lai Thuy
Reviewer 3: Associate Professor. Dr Le Nguyen Can

The dissertation is defended in front of the Dissertation Committee
of Graduate Academy of Social Sciences at ……....hour, day .........
month...... 2019.

Available at:
- Library of Graduate Academy of Social Sciences
- National Library of Vietnam

LIST OF ARTICLES BY PHD STUDENT
1.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh, From utopia to dystopia: narrative
discourse in Yan Lianke’s novel “Shouhuo Village”, Journal of
Literary Studies, No. 9 (571), 9/2019, p59-71.

2.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh (translated), Theism of contemporaryism
in contemporary literature (Yan Lianke), Journal of Writers and
Works, p178-184, No. 35, May-June, 2019.

3.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh, Yan Lianke: From conception to the
practice of Mythorealism, Journal of Literary Studies, No.11
(561), November 2018, p.109-221.

4.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh, Point of view and narrative structure
in a number of novels of Yan Lianke, Journal of Lexicography
and Encyclopedia, No. 2 (58), 3/2019, p122-127.
5. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh (translated), The writer's path (Yan
Lianke), Literature and Arts Newspaper, No. 14/2018, pp.10

6.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh (2016), Yan Lianke - Pioneering
latecomer, Spark Magazine, No. 14, p.52-54.

7.

Nguyen Thị Thúy Hạnh (translated), Internal breakdown of
composition - Memoirs of “Dream of Ding Village (Yan
Lianke), Spark Magazine, July 2016 issue, p.54-55.


INTRODUCTION
1. The urgency of the topic
According to the assessment of Chinese researchers and many
Western scholars today, Yan Lianke (1958-) is one of the typical faces
of contemporary Chinese literature. In 40 years of writing (19792019), Yan Lianke has published more than 11 novels, 10 volumes of
medium stories and short stories, 5 volumes of essays and essays. He
won various literary awards at home and abroad, such as the First and
Second Lu Xun Literary Prize, the 3rd Lao She Literary Award, the
Chinese International Literature Award, and the Franz Kafka Prize...
Up to now, there have been academic controversies about
studies of Yan Lianke’s novels; besides commendable praises,
criticism has continued, but it is undeniable that there is great artistic
novelty in his novels. Recently, through translation and publishing
work, the name Yan Lianke has become acknowledged to Vietnamese
readers. Studying Yan Lianke’s novels helps readers to understand the
movement of Chinese historical literature and the development trends
of contemporary Chinese fiction novels; better understand the depth
and nature of Chinese society - thereby compare with Vietnamese
social life to give a wide interpretations about history and human life.

2. The purpose and mission of the dissertation
2.1. Research purposes
- Clarify the artistic characteristics of Yan Lianke's novel by
focusing on aspects: artistic conception, narrative art, and artistic language.

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- Analyze the inheritance of traditional Chinese literature
achievements as well as the acquisition and influence of foreign
literature by Yan Lianke; meanwhile, pointing out the writer's
considerable contribution to the modern Chinese literature.
2.2. Research mission
- Find out the movement of artistic thinking (expressed
through the concept and practice of “realism” 神 实 主 义
mythorealism) by Yan Lianke in the process of composing, the
difference

of

writer's

thought

compared

to

previous

and

contemporaneous authors.
- On the theoretical basis of narrative, generalize the
characteristics that constitute the narrative style of the Yan Lianke’s
novels; analyze the inheritance and innovation in his narrative art and
novel language.
3. Object and scope of the dissertation
3.1. Research subjects
The object of the study is the main aspects of the art of Yan
Lianke’s novels.
3.2. Research scope
The scope of the research focuses on the most prominent
novels of Yan Lianke, including books translated and not yet
translated into Vietnamese. Analyzing and surveying activities are
based on the original text of the novels: The Sunlit Years (Hua Cheng
Publishing House, 1998), Hard as Water (Changjiang Literature and
Art Publishing House, 2001), Shou Huo (Arts Publishing House

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Xuan Phong, 2004), Dream of Ding Village (Shanghai Art Publishing
House, 2006), The Odes of Songs (People 's Publishing House of
Jiangsu, 2008), The Four Books (Mai Tian Publishing House, 2011);
compared (and cited if necessary) with Vietnamese translations.
While analyzing the works, we also expanded the survey,
linked to other novels of the writer such as: Song of Balou (Beiyue
Literature and Art Publishing Hous, 2001), Days, Months, Years
(Xinjiang People's Publishing House, 2002), The Explosion

Chronicles (Shanghai Art and Literature Publishing House, 2013),
The Day the Sun Died (Mai Tian Publishing House, 2016).
4. Research meothodology
System approach method; formative method, comparative
method; methods of analysis – syndissertation.
5. New scientific contributions of the dissertation
- Researching Yan Lianke’s novels based on the original texts,
including the analysis of typical novels that have not been translated
into Vietnamese.
- Introducing the unique aspects of thought, narrative art and
artistic language of the author Yan Lianke.
- Applying the narrative theory of Western theorists such as
Gerard Genette, Mikhail M. Bakhtin..., absorbing achievements of
Chinese narrative researches by Andrew H. Plaks, Yang Yi and
especially Zhao Yi Heng, at the same time putting the research subject
at the context of modern Chinese culture and literature in general, the

3


dissertation analyzes and clarifies of the art of Yan Lianke’s novel of
from a theoretical perspective as well as historical literature.
6. Theoretical and practical meanings of the dissertation
The dissertation contributes to the study of Yan Lianke novels
in particular and Chinese literature in general in Vietnam.
7. The structure of the dissertation
In addition to the Introduction, Conclusion, List of References
and Appendix, the dissertation is organized into four chapters:
Chapter 1. Overview of the research situation and viewpoints,
methodology of the dissertation;

Chapter 2. “Realistismism”: from concept to practice;
Chapter 3. Narrative techniques;
Chapter 4. Narrative discourse and novel language.
CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION,
VIEWPOINTS, APPROACH OF THE DISSERTATION
1.1. The situation of research on Yan Lianke’s novels in
China and abroad
1.1.1. In China
In China, up to now, there has been a large number of
dissertations, theses, papers and articles on Yan Lianke’s novels.
According to statistics of CNKI (China National Knowledge
Infrastructure) online library, accessed on July 1 st 2019, the keywords
of Yan Lianke results in 2.206 results, including 6 doctoral theses,

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217 master theses Doctor, 13 domestic seminars, 3 international
conferences, 1.757 magazine articles, 210 articles.
We divide the research situation of the Yan Lianke’s novels in
China into 4 stages:
The period 1991 - 1997: The subject, content, the art of the
literature about rural areas of Yan Lianke was concerned, the most
typical works were conducted by Lin Zhou, Yang Huai Zhou, Lu
Xin, Dou Peng, Cai Gui Lin, Zhang De Xiang, Ci Guo Shun, Zhao
Shun Hong, Zhu Xiang Qian…
The period of 1998 - 2007: Research on the art world of Yan
Lianke appeared, mainly from the perspective of cultural history to
study the content of novels, typical studies are from Gou Yuan Yu,

Zhang Zhi Zhong, Shao Yan Jun, Zhang Yan Guo, Lu Xiao Yao, Liu
Xiao Neng, Shun Xiao Dong, Song Hong Ling, Shi Shu Ping…
The Period 2008 - 2013: With the development of the Chinese
narrative discipline at the beginning of the 1980s, this period
exploded a series of studies on Yan Lianke’s novels in the context of
narrative. Following the trend, many authors have chosen narrative as
a theoretical nucleus to study the novels of Yan Lianke such as Wu
Yan Wei, Wang Dan Dan, Chang Li Na, Lin Ling, Wang Fei Fei,
Qian Fang, Mei Wen Bin…
The period of 2014 - 2019: Along with the development of
comparative literature, comparing the artistic style of Yan Lianke’s
novels with other authors in China and abroad is also a research
direction that many people have been interested in, including the

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writings of Li Ying, Yu Chang, Wang Wu Dan... At this stage,
Chinese researchers applied the theory of Russian formalism,
narrative of Genette, and American magic realism, folklore stance to
review the work of Yan Lianke. This research direction shows that it
is reasonable to be able to identify Yan Lianke in both “traditional”
and “modern” aspects.
1.1.2. In some countries
- Translating and introducing the novels of Yan Lianke in
Germany and France.
+ In Germany, the translation of novels by Yan Lianke was
made early. In 2007, the novel Serve the People (German name: Dem
Volke dienen) was translated into German; In 2009, Dream of Ding
Village was also published (Der Traum meines Groβ-vaters).

Researchers and critics of Germany such as Verena Mayer, Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung and Mark Siemons emphasized on the satirical,
and social critique manners of the “revolutionary narrative” in Yan
Lianke’s novels.
+ France is a country with a tradition of translating Chinese
literary works which had anti-traditional elements in the novels of Yan
Lianke; inspired and attracted the attention of French readers. Dream
of Ding Village (Le Reve du Village des Ding), Days, Months, Years
(Les Jours, Les mois, Les Années), and Lenin's Kisses (The Bons
baisers de Lénine) were highly appreciated by French critics, and Yan
Lianke is considered “A master of magical realism in China".

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- Studying Yan Lianke’s novels in the United States and
Canada
+ From 2010, researches on Yan Lianke’s novels have began
to expand in the United States. In 2011, Chinese Literature Today of
the University of Oklahoma (USA) published a series of two papers
on the topic “Fiction and truth in the novels of Yan Lianke” by
Laifong Leung and Thomas Chen. Approaching the Yan Lianke’s
novels from the sociological and cultural perspectives, there were
articles written by Rachel Leng, Xuenan Cao and Wang Yu. Throw
new and modern theories, these studies have produced many
interesting ideas, such as "ghost wedding", the desecrate of blood
relation, the writing of autoimmunity author(s)…
- Translation and introduction of Yan Lianke in Japan
The novels of Yan LianKe which were translated and
published in China include: Dream of Ding Village (2007), Father

and I (2016), Days, Months, Years (2016), The Explosion Chronicles
(2016). The famous newspapers in Japan such as Asahi Shimbun,
Yomiuri Shimbun, Nikkei when introducing foreign literature, all
praised for Yan Liank’s novels. In 2014, the novel Dream of Ding
Village of Yan Lianke won the Twitter literary prize in Japan for
foreign literary works.
- Translating and studying Yan Lianke’s novels in Vietnam:
+ Until August 2019, there were 6 novels of Yan Lianke
translated into Vietnamese (The Odes of Songs, Serve the People,

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Hard as Water, How are You Pan Jinlian, Dream of Ding Village,
The Four Books).
+ The research of Yan Lianke’s novels in Vietnam has still
been very few. Recent studies have been made by Nguyen Thi Thuy
Hanh such as: Yan Lianke: From conception to the practice of
Mythorealism (2018), Point of view and narrative structure in a
number of novels of Yan Lianke (2019), From utopia to dystopia:
narrative discourse in Yan Lianke’s novel Shouhuo Village (2019).
These studies has clarified the characteristics of “Mythorealism” in
Yan Lianke’s novels and the narrative innovations expressed in some
specific works; From a different approach, Intertextuality in Yan
Lianke’s novel (2019) by Nguyen Thi Tinh Thy analyzed the
intertextual signs in Yan Lianke’s novels. Recognizing Yan Lianke
as one of the three great writers of contemporary Chinese literature in
the post-reform period (along with Mo Yan and Gao Xing Jian),
Nguyen Thi Mai Chanh (2019) presented an overview of literary
achievements that Yan Lianke has achieved so far. These are some of

the most in-depth studies of the subject up to now.
1.1.3. The controversy about Yan Lianke’s novel
- In the debate about the novel The Odes of Songs (2008)
among some famous critics in China such as Sun Yu, Chen Xiao
Ming, Wang Bin Bin, Shao Yan Jun…, they argued that Yan Lianke
has "deliberately mocked, distorted intellectuals ", "publicly referring
to Peking University".

8


-The evaluation of the art of Yan Lianke’s novel also has
diverse critics. Many researchers such as Wang Guang Dong, Huang
Fa You, Wang Jiao, Xia You Shun, Chen Si He, Chen Zhong Yi,
Zheng Guang Wei, Song Ping Hui... have praised the work of Yan
Lianke, but there are also scholars like Xiao Ying, Guo Bing Ru who
pointed out the limitations of his novels.
- In mainland China, The Four Books is listed as a banned
book, so very few authors studied this novel (such as Cheng Guang
Wei, Lin Bin Bin) but are interested by many foreign scholars.
Sebastian Veg said that the reception of The Four Books
simultaneously opened up new debates about history.
The contradictory opinions about Yan Lianke's novels show
that this is really a complex literary phenomenon, and also a worthy
phenomenon to study. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Yan
Lianke was named "the most controversial writer in China".
1.2. Viewpoints and methodology of the dissertation
-The author of the dissertation approaches the research object
in the spirit of scientific objectivity, with reference and dialogue with
different perspectives on Yan Lianke’s novels, from which to make

her own interpretations and analysis.
-Besides applying the theories of Western theorists such as
Gerard Genette, Mikhail M. Bakhtin..., we also absorb the research
achievements of Chinese narratives by Andrew H. Plaks (Chinese
Narrative, Peking University Press, 1st edition, 1996), Yang Yi
(Chinese Narratology, Beijing People's Publishing House, 1997), and

9


especially Zhao Yi Heng with two works: Suffering narratives Chinese narrative form and Chinese culture of Chinese novels
(October Beijing Arts Publishing House, 1994) and Extended
narrative narrative (Sichuan University Press, 2013) to identify and
analyze research objects.
CHAPTER 2
"MYTHOREALISM": FROM CONCEPT TO PRACTICE
2.1. The concept of "Mythorealism"
2.1.1. "The myth is a bridge, Reality is the other shore".
Through the essay Novel Discovering (Nankai University
Publisher, 2001) and specific expressions in the novels of the writer,
we think that "Mythorealism" ( 神 实 主 义 ), Yan Lianke has
implications as follows:
- The term "god" (神) in the concept of "mythorealism" is not
miraculous, mystical, "god" is mainly understood as "spirit". The
"mythorealism" ( 神 实 ) is the reality of morale and spirituality,
disregarding the outside world and emphasizes the intrinsic "spirit"
that belongs to the soul, the writer's soul.
- In his novels, the writer overlooks the logical apparent
relations of the reality of life, delving into a kind of "non-existent"
reality, “an unseen reality, a hidden reality”.

- The novelty of this mythorealism is "creating reality, seeking
reality", rather than" describing reality ".
- As a tendency of creation, mythorealism ignores the logic of
external reality, focusing on exploiting "inner truth" ( 真 实 ),
exploring the depth of spiritual preception of society and people.

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- Imagination, parables, myths, legends, myths, fantasies,
mixtures ... are the tactics that "mythorealism" is used to describe
reality.
2.1.2. "No cause and effect", "semi cause and effect" and
"internal cause and effect"
To explain more specifically about "mythorealism", in Novel
Discovering, Yan Lianke proposed the concepts: "no cause and
effect", "half-cause and effect" and "internal cause and effect".
- "Cause and effect" (= cause + effect): the relationship and the
results of development of things and phenomena.
- "No cause and effect" (零 因果): in Yan Lianke’s work, "No
cause and effect" is defined as: "the arising of the story, the
reinterpretation and anti-cause and effect relationship of the writer, is
a writer's effort and experimentation in creating a new cause and
effect order “Novel Discovering”; tr76]
- "Semi cause and effect" (半 因果): "greater or smaller than
the integrity and peerness of the whole cause and effect", "no reader
is doubted about the dishonesty in their logical relations" [Novel
Discovering; tr112-113]. Characteristic of the " Semi cause and
effect" narrative is One Hundred Years of Solitude. According to Yan
Lianke, "Semi cause and effect" is considered to be characteristic of

the writing method of Latin-American fantasy realism to which
García Márquez is a representative.
- "Internal cause and effect" (内 因果): "the survival process of
stories and characters in a novel, based on the cause and effect of

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inner truth to stimulate the character and the plot change". "Internal
cause and effect" exists only in the authenticity of the spirit and the
soul, relying on the spirit and the soul to "stimulate, lengthen the
story and transform and improve the character", which is the "only
root cause" for the soul, behavior and language of the character to
develop ”. "Internal cause and effect" is the autobiographical
characteristic of "mythorealism" at [Novel Discovering; tr136].
2.2. The process of transformation in the writer's artistic
conception: from "reality" to "mytho-reality"
- The writings about Chinese countryside of Yan Lianke can be
divided into two periods: The period before Days, Months, Years
(1997), the work focused on criticizing the power in the countryside;
because of power, people do not regret deceits, despite brotherly
fratricide; using traditional narrative tactics of realism and being
"enlightenening critique". From 1997 onwards, Yan Lianke became a
prominent writer in the literature with works delving deeply into the
darkness of the lust of people, the existence of suffering and
absurdity of their hierachy, courage and audacity when fighting
against destiny.
- The change of cognition in Yan Lianke's artistic conception
and writing method is not exclusive, but rather in the need to
restructure realism in China in the 1990s in general, along with the

emergence of writings following the trend of "neo-realism".
- Yan Lianke expresses denial of the old writing method of
realism, requiring the writer to find a new writing method, a new

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expression, a new narrative, a depth of the new content, opposed to
traditional writing techniques, emphasizing on a need for re-creation.
2.3. Yan Lianke's realism in relation to the Chinese literary
tradition
2.3.1. Joining the literature of hometown
- Yan Lianke took the Ba Lou mountain range as a setting for a
series of "novels of hometown".
- Exploiting the restrictions and tragedies of rural areas in the
Central Highlands in the process of modernization; criticizing the
insatiable desire for power, the humanity distortion by power.
-Important works: Family Poems ((家诗), Story of the BaLou
mountain range (耙耧系列), Emotional prison (情感狱), The story of
the village (乡里故事), The former home of Liang Zheng (两程故里)...
2.3.2. Following the line of literature "Reflecting the nation"
Continuing the critical spirit of Lu Xun, manifested in many
different topics: the weakness of the intellectuals (The Odes of
Songs), the traumatic spirit of the Cultural Revolution (The Four
Books), the collapse of human life in the post-revolution period
(Dream of Dinh Village, Shou Huo)...
2.3.3. Absorbing the traditional narrative method
- In terms of narrative art, the writer attaches importance to
details, plot; paying attention to the emotional conflicts of the
character and the "taste of the narrator" (A. H. Plaks).

- His work follows a clear structure, coherent plot, outstanding
character character, dramatic elements are included in the work.

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2.3.4. Reflecting the ideology of "Taosim" (道)
-The influence of the Taoism ideology on the novels of Yan
Lianke was systematically chained through the symbol of the
mountain region ("Ba Lou system") appearing throughout many
works. Described as an ideal "digging ground" outside the world, the
image of Balou originated from Zhuang Zi's "small nation" (small
country with small population) of Zhuang Zi.
- To express the spirit of "beloved" that values the word
"mother" of the Taoism, female characters in Yan Lianke’s novels
are often "purified" or "idealized".
-The Taoism ideology also affects the elements of "inner text".
The imprint of binary thinking (yin/yang) can be found in real-time
organization: reality - dreams, leave - return motifs, utopia/distopia
spaces...
2.4 The absorption and creation of Western Literature Yan
Lianke’s novels
2.4.1. Acquiring modern Western novel techniques
- Writers like Kafka, Juan Rulfo, Pedro Baramo, Marquez,
Faulkner... are more or less affecting the writings of Yan Lianke.
- In each novel, Yan Lianke is looking for different narrative
methods to develop the story, such as: using the narrative of dead
people, time of reverse (analepsis), mocking tactics (parody); at the
same time, constantly experimenting with new forms of texts (using
annotations, quotations, bold letters, mixing between modern dialects

and languages, sexual languages and revolutionary languages ...).

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2.4.2 The influence of existentialism ideology
-

The

concepts

of

existentialism:

anxiety

(angoisse),

abandonment (délaissement), hopelessness (désespoir) all appear in
the novels of Yan Lianke.
- The wild language and illogical events form the parable
structure of the novels.
- The surreal tactics such as symbolization, rhetoric, absurdity,
illusionization are used to describe a harsh living environment,
radicalizing the state of existence.
CHAPTER 3
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE
3.1. The parable of narration and the de-rationalization of

reality
3.1.1. Allegorized narration
- In Yan Lianke’s novels, the parable is most profound in the
political parables, typically Shouhuo Village.
- Writers often reuse classic motifs in old myths and Bibles in
his works.
3.1.2. Absurd narration
-The “absurd narration” in Yan Lianke’s novelsis expressed
through two aspects: the influence of the tradition of writing about
the absurdity in Chinese literature, and the absorption of artistic
tactics of Western irrational literature in the twentieth century.
- The “illogical” writing is based on the imagination of Yan
Lianke, seemed to extend to limitlessness, still attached to a certain
principle, that is “the intrinsic authenticity of fictional text”.

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3.2. Viewpoint and narrative structure
3.2.1. Diversify points of view
Types of viewpoints that appeared in Yan Lianke's novel:
- Limited outside point of view;
- Limited third-person point of view;
- Linear viewpoint; Multi viewpoint;
- The ghosts viewpoint.
3.2.2. Types of narrative structure
- Time texture;
- External structure;
- Double structure;
- Internal cause and effect structure;

- Use comments to form the structure of a novel.
3.3. Super fiction and distance narrative
- “Metafiction” is a "novel about a novel"
- The novels of Yan Lianke have the form of "super-fiction":
Hard as Water, The Four Books, The Explosion Chronicles.
3.4. Dreams like a narrative
- Regarding “dreams” as a narrative, Zhao Yi Heng classified
dream as one of the manifestations of “image mind narrative” (image
narrative)
- These novels took “self-image from mind” as the main theme
in the Yan Lianke’s works: Emotional prison, The Dream of the
YaoGou, Dream of Dinh Village, The Day the Sun Died.

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CHAPTER 4
NARRATIVE DISCOURSE AND NOVELS’ LANGUAGE
4.1. Narrative discourse
4.1.1. Double discourse
Double discourse, are two different forms of communication or
expression that occur simultaneously. In its simplest form, it is
presented by a group of individuals in which two conversations occur
at the same time. On a larger scale, dual discourse can occur at the
social and political level, when an individual or a group can come up
with two ideas, two different statements. In many novels of Yan
Lianke, the form of two discourses appeared simultaneously, mixed
in a text and became a feature of narrative art.
First, the discourse of revolution and sexuality. This dual
discourse throughout works: Serve the People, Hard as Water, The

Four Books. In these two novels, by depicting sex for the purpose of
mocking, Yan Lianke built a soldier – farmer image in a very
different way from the tradition of military fiction.
Secondly, the discourse of life and disease: The life discourse
is linked to the discourse of disease as a reflection on the meaning of
existence (Song of Balou, The Sunlit Years, ShouHuo, Dream of Dinh
village. Descriptions of life are actually associated with the actual
“experience” of Yan Lianke when being sick; helping the writer to
feel more deeply tragic of human life, painful memories, historical
wounds on the Chinese body.

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4.1.2. Writing about politics in the post-Mao context
- Some of the key words related to politics are “power”,
“revolution”, “institution”, these words have become the nucleus of
the structure of The Sunlit Years, Hard as Water, ShouHuo.
- Skepticism about China’s institutions, the spirit of reflecting
the Chinese political system, and at the same time criticizing of
leaders has become a dominant soundtrack in the political novels of
Yan Lianke.
4.1.3. “Distopia” as a narrative identity
- Utopia, in the Yan Lianke’s perception, is an independent
world outside the modern society (Shouhuo village, San Xing village,
Ba Lou world).
- In the works of Yan Lianke, we can realize the succession of
two discourses: utopia discourse expressing the regressive spirit of
the imaginational world; distopian discourse is present as a question
of China's power and modernization process.

4.2. Characteristics of novels’ language
4.2.1. Parodical language
4.2.1.1. Revolutionary parody
- In the political parables of Yan Lianke, the symbol of the
book “Chairman Mao” appeared many times for the purpose of
mocking. The use of this parodical tactic in addition to consciously
re-criticizing Mao Zedong's ideological legacy, also has the
significance of denying the literature of Mao's time of taking
hierarchy and arts to serve politics.
- Both the novels Serve the People and Hard as Water are
using the combined model: “revolution + sexuality” as a way of

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parody. In the Shouhuo Village, the parody of political power is
emphasized through the construction of the character Liu Ying Que
to depict a “typical” character for a Chinese-style power culture.
4.2.1.2. Parodical genre
- The expression of parody in the Yan Lianke’s novels: parody
of poetry by combining various linguistic tactics such as creating
rhymes, rhyming, applying rhetorical and parody-based poems,
revolutionary parody/lyrics, Bible parody and diary parody, Shi Jing
parody, He Nan opera, parody lice…
- The classical literature in Yan Lianke’s novels is not intended
to mock original texts or to laugh at classic patterns, in addition to
defying prejudices, it creates a form of mixed discourse, thereby
stimulating dialogue thinking, inviting diverse reading experiences
from readers.
4.2.1.3. Self-parody

- While in Hard as Water, the author's shadow is mentioned
only at the end of the novel through the title of the work, then in The
Day the Sun Died, there was a direct mocking of the author, both an
impersonal and indirect parody next.
- In The Explosion Chronicles, using the genre - a form of text
that records historical facts with parodical purpose - Yan Lianke
presented a new conception of post-modern history writing: Writing
history is at the same time a fictional activity, history is now a textual
roadmap, in which, super fiction is a text play, each story is a play
that the author himself attend thanks to playing it (parody).
4.2.2. Using and creating dialects
4.2.2.1. Intention of re-establishing dialect status

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With novels using the image of Ba Lou space as a background,
Yan Lianke's writing has been modernized and mastered: Days,
Months, Years, The Sunlitm Years, Song of Balou, Hard as Water,
Shouhuo Village. Simultaneously in this artistic space, the language
in the Yan Lianke’s novels can be divided into two language
systems: the language of the Ba Lou mountain area and the public
language.
4.2.2.2. Increase the lexicon dialect
- Dialects in the novels of Yan Lianke are used continuously in
many works, but for Shouhuo Village, the success in applying new
dialects is really a breakthrough.
- In Shou Huo Village, the linguistic dialect of 方言 语气 词 is
flexibly applied to create a specific climate zone for the work.
Phonetic words from dialect such as "哩", "啊", "了", "吧", "哟", "呢

", "哦", "啦" with characteristics of the pronunciation and speech of
the Yu Xi region, not only has the effect of rhetoric but also “soften”
the language, conveying the state of life and consciousness of Ba Lou
people. The extensive use of these vocabulary words makes the work
indigenous in style, increasing the musicality of the words.
The incursion of language - folklore into the language and
culture of the local regions, creating the polyphonic nature and
dialogue of different worlds that co-exist in the work.
4.2.2.3. Express the characteristics of indigenous culture
The application of the Yu Xi dialect has a great effect in
expressing the state of existence and popular customs in the “Ba Lou
world”.

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- In the early period, Yan Lianke has early introduced the Yu
Xi dialects into his novels (Liang zheng gu li, Heng huo, Dou ji...).
The increasing number of dialects in later novels creates a unique
local taste of his works.
- In Shou Huo Village (2003), a large numbers of Yu Xi
dialects were used, breaking the normal reading routine. Not only
limited to the use of available languages and dialects, the writer
created a system of "Ba Lou dialect" (Yu Xi dialect) in the Shou Huo
world, based on the text to create social context and storyline.
CONCLUSION
1. When putting realism into the context of Chinese culture
and literature and the world’s one, we realize that “Mythorealism”
has an absorption of indigenous cultural characteristics, the tradition
of Chinese narrative, as well as rationally and creatively applying the

achievements of modern Western literature. Although Yan Lianke
affirmed, the long-term domination of realism will become a “burial
of literature”, but this drastic attitude does not mean that the author
supported anti-realism, but he realized that the routine of realism
prevented the development of Chinese literature. “Mythorealism”
refutes the simple reflection of reality, hoping to use the tactics of
surrealism to express “unseen truth” and “non-existent truth”. The
greatest value of “mythorealism” is that it has bravely broken the
method of writing of traditional realism, creating a new form of
realism. “Mythorealism” emphasizes the authenticity of the soul and
the spirit of the writer, directing readers to think about the meaning
of existence and depth of social - historcal issues. “Mythorealism”
has a rich imagination and capacity to create new structures; besides

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borrowing and reconciling many elements of fanciful realism,
Western modernism, it is still rooted in Chinese soil, characterized by
Chinese culture. “Mythorealism” is thus a form of localized
surrealism. Its formation brought new contributions in contemporary
Chinese literature.
Although there are relatively new interpretations, it must be
affirmed that “Mythorealism” is not a new theory. In contemporary
Chinese literature, “Mythorealism” is not enough to convince all
readers, but to a certain extent it inspires writers to abandon the
shackles of thought of realistic routines, actively learn and apply the
achievements of Western modernismliterature, enriching their
indigenous literature.
2. In each work, Yan Lianke is always looking for a new way

of telling, new modes of expression consistent with artistic intention,
and consistent with the concept of “Mythorealism” that he pursues.
In addition to maintaining elements of the traditional narrative
method, the Yan Lianke’s novels also refracted the Taoism ideology,
and were influenced by Western existential philosophy in a spirit of
skepticism, a look of melancholy, an existential consciousness and
thoughts about essence. The world of Ba Lou is built in the novel of
Yan Lianke which is a model of Utopia world isolated from social
life – an unreal world outside of life, in which the transition from
utopia to distopia hidden for the transition process of social history.
3. In exploiting sensitive issues such as the Cultural
Revolution, the Great Leap Forward, the transformations of the postrevolutionary economy, power relations in the countryside ... Yan
Lianke had a logical choice - using the “irrationalization” and

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