Franz Kafka and Chinese Culture

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-981-19-2603-7
Verlag: Springer Nature Singapore

Buch, Englisch, 242 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 443 g

This book conducts a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of Franz Kafka’s relation to China. Commencing with an examination of the myriad Chinese cultural influences to which Kafka was exposed, it goes on to explore the ways in which they manifest themselves in canonical stories, such as Description of A Struggle, The Great Wall of China, and An Old Manuscript. This leads the way to thought-provoking comparative studies of Kafka and major Chinese writers and philosophers, such as Zhuang Tzu, Pu Songling, Qian Zhongshu, and Lu Xun. Highlighting kindred philosophical concepts, shared aesthetic tastes, and parallel narrative strategies, these comparisons transcend mere textual analysis, to explore the profound cultural, historical, and philosophical implications of Kafka’s works. Finally, the book turns to an examination Kafka’s impact on modern life in China, including its translation studies, literature, and even its mass culture.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zeng, Yanbing

Weitere Mitwirkende

Li, Yuan

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Einzelne Autoren: Monographien & Biographien
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Deutsche Literatur
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.- Sinking to the Seabed of Chinese Culture: Franz Kafka and Traditional Chinese Culture.- The First Dance Steps in Winter: An Analysis of Description of a Struggle.- The Great Wall in Transcultural Context: The Great Wall of China.- Old Manuscript from China: An Old Manuscript.- Babel on Chinese Great Wall: Kafka and the Philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi.- Kafka and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.- Into “Fortress Besieged” and Out of “The Castle”: A Comparative Analysis of Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged and Kafka’s The Castle.- Inscriptions on the Tomb Stone: A Comparative Analysis of Lu Xun’s “Tombstone Inscriptions” and Kafka’s “A Dream”.- “Bosom Friends” in Contemporary China: The Reception of Kafka’s Works by Contemporary Chinese Writers.- Franz Kafka and Contemporary Chinese Culture.- The Discussion of Kafka Never Ends: Kafka Studies in China.- The Translationand Introduction of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis in China.

Über Autor(innen)

Yanbing Zeng is Doctor of Literature, professor and doctoral supervisor of School of Liberal Art in Renmin University of China. He specializes in Western literature studies, comparative study of Chinese and Western Literature, study on postmodern literature and culture, and study on Kafka, and has published several monographs in these fields.

 Yuan Li, the translator, is Professor of English at the Faculty of English Language & Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. She has published extensively on contemporary Chinese and Anglo-Irish literature, culture and world literature.