Asian/ Chinese psychic-scape; the geo-political n socio-cultural

context Asian part of the world Rich in ancient history e.g. Chinese, Hindu, Arab/Islamic ___ different + similar in many ways Regionally identifiable ; complexion n feature-wise: Strong in cultural ID (regional dresses). Greater tendency tow. uniformity now. Each Asian Society : Stress on collectivism . Group-conscious; Authoritarian system Individual relegated to a 2ndary position as compared to the social/state cause Stress on the development of ID rather than Self (both, opposed to each other)

Self Intrinsic Looking in Internal, Personal Private; Inborn Feelings, emotions, interests, ambitions

Vs

ID Extrinsic Looking Out External trappings: Imposed from out side Public; acquired IDFactors: Nation, state, religion, culture, family particular , individual. Caters to objective reality; local, constrictive

Human, general; caters to Subjective reality; universal, common

Shen Tes dilemma: how to be good to oneslf +others 2 Concepts: Self and others self vs others Chinese Self always a social, collective one, determined by others Religion, Politics or Family: Ethical self { self = a worldly
attachment one should be released from.

Religion: Mysticism: self-denial Confucianism (551-479 BC) Heaven-Directed Social Context Surrender of the Daosim : the Way, Nature self to others, divine+human Buddhism : void; self-evacuation

Self fulfillment: subdue your own will to the will of others.

Politics
Rule by kings & emperors. Absolute; autocratic; loyalty

to the state determining how good/bad you are. Traditional culture + political philosophy Cannibalistic both expect you to kill yourself to uphold traditional morality. (Chen Maiping)

Chinese History: Colonialism

Euro influences: 18th -19th century Enlightenment Movement. Humanism+Feminism; Democracy. Importance of common man/woman. Noras choice for self-development Self vs society: 2 separate entities Chinese self n society: 2 sides of the same coin; inseparable Struggle against foreign powers; no time for looking within Disintegration + anarchy: warlords, bandits, infighting, foreign invasions, revolutions, civil wars Communist Revolution: Oct 1, 1949 Cultural Revolution 1967-76 Reign of terror Worst type of political oppression worse still for men of literature. Dictation from above. Only truth _state truth; Nation building, main agenda. Dissidents, eliminated Work ethics; close society with an iron curtain

Literature No concept of self identification. No individual experience for self development Oldest writings Religious or historical, political texts; general and social; anonymous discourses; the very anonimity, suggestive of self-extinction Classical poetry (from the time of Confucius) No authorial voice but identification with others the poor, nature, empty scenes etc. Printing in China, Japan: 900 AD Novel : 1300 AD 17th 18th C (Narrative Lit) Religious experiences pilgrimages; travel accounts ,explorative writing.

Maos death in 1976 27 yrs of misrule. Relaxation of rules

Free marketing economy: Interaction with the world; Exposure to the western culture: greater openness n explicitness Age-old value system, questioned. Threat to the state. Wave of tyranny 1989 pro-democracy students uprising, curbed with military action. Writers/poets/artists, persecuted; many forced to self-exile

Gao Xingjian:
Multi-faceted Multiple ids.in Chinese Lit. Fictionist, poet, dramatist, ink painter, artist, art-critic, etc. Started as a dramatist in the traditions of Absurdism n Dark Comedy Accused of immorality tick-marked by Stop spiritual pollution movement Cultural movement hunt for dissidents. Betrayed by his own wife. Had to burn many manuscripts. Wrongly diagnosed having cancer. Cleared, took up a journey to the Chinese hinterland. Security Reasons

Thanksgiving

Nobel Prize, 2000

For an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic

ingenuity which has opened new paths for Chinese novel and drama.

Literature in born anew from the struggle of the individual to survive the history of the masses. He is perspicacious sceptic who makes no claim to be able to explain the world. He asserts that he has found freedom only in writing Literature is inherently mans affirmation of the value of his own self and. This is validated during the writing. Literature is born primarily of the writers need for self fulfillment, Whether it has any impact an society comes after the completion of the work and that impact is certainly not determined by the wishes of the writer. Nobel Lecture, 2000.

 Literature has no duty to the masses. It is not

concerned with politics but is purely a matter of the individual

In some way he represents what might be called global

vision. His relationship with China is not limited to memory, history or politics. He uses all these themes as metaphors, indexes to a much more personal search for meaning. Leo Qu-fan Lee

 Soul Mountain has many real characters and authentic

descriptions but is ultimately, a novel. It is about my actual journey but it is a spiritual journey. It is also a recording of the private dialogue between you and I. In Soul Mountain, I realized that plot is not the only foundation for the novel. It can be other things such as life. In this case, I used my heart and consciousness the basis of the novel. The book is not plot-oriented but based on inner world of the author. Rather than plot and incidents, my heart is its basic structure. Thats why it does not really fit into any category as a novel. In fact there is no such novel in the history of literature . Xingjian

 Journey form Beijing along the river to the river base, Kunlun Mountains. Fluidity Backward: in time and space Against the current; difficult and challenging common accepted norm.

Soul Mountain
Possiblistic text; evocative; liminality Human Tree Body=Oversized an organic whole; rooted to the earth, Subordination of mind/ growing up to the sky Intellect to the senses

soul Growth = Self development ;

It is human nature to look up to the sky, the proverbial seat of God

Suspended, Midway: on the slope In the process between being and becoming; limbo Brechtian rite of passage = Initiation rites

Title: contraries co-exist; coalesce.

Ling + Soul Abstract Within Depth Invisible Other-worldly Spiritual Immortal God Highest Ideal

Shan Mt. Concrete, Solid Without Height Visible This-worldly Physical Mortal Man Pursuer

That which is material and physical is perishable; of no substance or

solidity That which is spiritual is of real worth, height and depth.

Textual Indeterminacy:
Multi-Genre: Novel, poetry, drama ,criticism. Epic, Picaresque, autobiography, travelogue, personal diary, historiography, all in one. No simple single categorisation/signification ; syncretic art. Central Preoccupation: Journey/Quest at multiple levels. Physical, emotional, mental, psycho-sexual philosophical, transcendental. Lots of departures & arrivals.

Journey in time and place (a) Personal, childhood memories How does it end? (a) Geo-historical past: Chinese history: an artists version ; different from the textbook version. Past needs to be owned as it is. Debunking of myths & self-mystification (visit to Grandpa Stones hut).

Pre-historic past: caves, primeval forests; delving deep in Seamus Heaney style. For what purpose? Any achievement? Personal and collective unconscious. Philosophical, Absurdist search for meaning? Religious; visit to seminaries , attending rituals; To what end? Spiritual Quest; Quest for the ultimate reality. The venture thwarted again v again ; any arrivals? Any truth about reality.

Characterisation
Unique. Anonymous; Why pronouns? Characters- singular or plural? Both. One man show as in Dario Fo. Subjective decentricity. Multiple narratives : different characters having their own voice, personality and pursuit. I, you, he, she. Interaction : attraction + detraction. You-she liaison: Male, female principles at work in the creation of art. Man-woman relationship: gender politics; power games. Inter-gender dialogue. Feminist concerns: Xingjian, giving voice to the gender other; marginalized and voiceless. Her side of the story. Writers stance: Chauvinist or feminist?.

Self study
Self and ID issues: Nature of self: multiple or singular? Different aspects: at war or peace? Self vs. identify issues Self-signifiers; personal dreams, emotional, sexual, spiritual longings; experiences of all types- negative-positive, demonicangelic. Self- realisation, possible? Id factors: your external trappings: Chinese history, religion, art, philosophy, myths, legends, folk tales---- culture. Any mediation possible between the two? Journey from self vs. others to self and others Self-division self re-integration One- whole this and that rather than this or that

Meta- Fiction:
Art-n-literary critic. Theory and practice of art. Multiple critical discourses on art, artist, audience Art teacher-trainer + practitioner. Guidelines: (a) How to create art? To animate a deed scene. To create form out of formlessness To create something out of nothing. (b) How to read, respond to & interact with art? Debate between artist & publisher: self-reflexivity; self critique.

Form & Structure

Formless, fragmented, disorderly text. A hotch potch of isolated incidents, stories, recording etc. Episodic, essayistic form- Milan Kundera. Any order, textual unity or organization? Cohesive devices? Characters, major themes, recurrent images Structure _ any division into beginning, middle, end or exposition, rising action, crisis /climax, catastrophe, resolution? Any sequence among chapters?

Style
Narrative techniques. Description, narration, reflection, debate, discussion, commentary, documentary, dialogue. Multi-media: folk, oral songs, recitations before a crowd, live recording of a dragon dance or acrobatic performance. Why all these? Different techniques: Imagism, absurdism, surrealism, magical realism. Stylistic Techniques: Puns, paradoxes, oxymorons Images: running, intermingling, fused; serialised; synaesthesia; metaphors. Evolving a disparate, dense style to approximate an experience or a reality that is so complex as to defy any single, stable signification.

 Zen philosophy: no express communication. Indirect effect of riddles,

paradoxical statements & questions that cant be answered precisely. Open to any meaning. Risk of losing the thread of meaning. Not all questions answerable. Conjoining the indigenous & the western. Post colonial liminality. Qs., a way to exert mind. At least the search is under way. Absurdist text. liminal identity. pieces. Unpredictability as of life. Disjointed structure: haphazard, disorderly. Infinite possibilities, coaxing the reader to search n research.
Fragmented text: loose Xingjian, suggestive but non intrusive.

A poem should not mean but be

Reading
Reading includes comprehension

Reading exercise
Tell the truth but tell it slant

(Emily Dickenson)

The span of life The old dog barks backward without getting up I can remember when he was a pup. (Robert Frost)