New Progression in China's Narratology Studies: Extensive Reform of Western Narratology and Embryonic Construction of Chinese School of Narratology

ABSTRACT

As China's narratology studies begin to draw attention from international scholarship, this article aspires to map the current development of narratology in China with the main focus on renowned Chinese narratologists such as Dan Shen, Biwu Shang, Xiuyan Fu, and Weisheng Tang. In particular, this article seeks to comb the Chinese narrative research underpinned by and further contributing to the tenets of Western narratology, as well as to scrutinize the thriving schools of Chinese narratology that take Chinese narrative as its main concern. Based on a review of the situations of narratology in China, especially during this decade, this article concludes with tentative suggestions for the future evolution of narratology in China, and looks forward to the future when narratology with unique Chinese nationality can be widely recognized by the world.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese narratology
• new progression
• Dan Shen
• Xiuyan Fu
• Biwu Shang
• Weisheng Tang

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Junwu Tian

Tian Junwu is a Sino-US Fulbright scholar and Professor at the School of Foreign Languages, Beihang University. His research area focuses on American literature and comparative literature. His latest publications include “The Mixed Chinese Images as the Oriental Other and the Occidental Saviour in John Steinbeck’s Novels” in Papers on Language and Literature (2019), “Parody of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita in Umberto Eco’s ‘Granita’” in Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (2020), “Criticism and Evaluation of Nie Zhenzhao’s Studies of Ethical Literary Criticism” in Style (2021).

Shuyue Liu

Liu Shuyue is a Master candidate at the School of Foreign Languages, Beihang University. Her research area focuses on narratology and Chinese American literature.