Honors Thesis Archive
| Author | Hannah C. Reynolds |
|---|---|
| Title | The Electric Era: Science Fiction Literature in China |
| Department | East Asian Studies |
| Advisors | Shelley Chan, Sunny Jeong, and Scot Hinson |
| Year | 2019 |
| Honors | University Honors |
| Publication | 2019 |
| Full Text | View Thesis (229 KB) |
| Abstract | The first decades of the 21st century have seen a remarkable rise in science fiction novels and short stories by Chinese authors, whose works have attracted international attention and success. Although highly imaginative and fantastical works of literature have a long history in China, the genre of science fiction has experienced long periods of interruption and obstacles that limited the genre’s constant growth. During the Cultural Revolution, any films, books or plays that were not actively promoting the Chinese Communist Party were not condoned by the State or seen as useful to Chinese society. Science fiction literature generally did not fall within the strict confines of the socialist realism genre and therefore virtually died out during the middle of the twentieth century. As the Cultural Revolution ended, the influx of culture included non-Chinese science fiction literature and sparked a renewed interest in the genre. Three authors in particular, Han Song, Liu Cixin, and Hao Jingfang, are actively ushering in a new age of Chinese literature with their fascinating works of science fiction, which comment on the state of humanity and the Chinese experience. The new age of Chinese science fiction takes root in the satirical nature of the genre’s origins, serving primarily as criticism of China’s sociopolitical state. It is with these criticisms that modern science fiction authors employ the characteristics of the genre in order to openly, accurately and creatively portray their experience as Chinese people. This “Golden Age” of Chinese science fiction could be more accurately described as an “Electric Era,” containing a small but powerful spark that will soon light up as a global sensation, bringing critical discussions of the Chinese experience to both domestic and international readers. |
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