Effusiveness in Narrative Mimicry: Deep Reading of ‘Hanyuefuqu’ and ‘Pianpian’ in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhaizhiyi)

Author: Fang-Ling Lai(Department of Chinese, National Donghwa University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 55, No. 1
Date：March 2010
Pages：155-174
DOI：10.3966/207451922010035501007

Abstract：

By way of depicting entering and leaving the‘Other’world and demonstrating the extra sensory perception, the ‘Truth vs. Illusion’ narration in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio reveals, drags or subvert experiential phenomena in reality. The two tales, ‘Hanyuefuqu’ and ‘Pianpian’, centre on a surreal dreamland and contain profound human sensibility.
Shuttling between truth and illusion, the plots incarnate not only Pu, Song-Ling’s intention of signifying strange tales, his aesthetic sentiment but also the Taoist presentation, which seems to be real yet empty, and the readers’ reading utility. Above all, effusiveness in narrative mimicry makes the readers contemplate over and over until we reach the profound meaning of life.

Keywords：effusiveness, narration/narrative, strange tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhaizhiyi), Hanyuefuqu, Pianpian

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