Bücher der Reihe Comparative Cultural Studies

In 2012 the Swedish Academy announced that Mo Yan had received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work that ¿with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history, and the contemporary.¿ The announcement marked the first time a resident of mainland China had ever received the award. This is the first English-language study of the Chinese writer¿s work and influence, featuring essays from scholars in a range of disciplines, from both China and the United States. Its introduction, twelve articles, and epilogue aim to deepen and widen critical discussions of both a specific literary author and the globalization of Chinese literature more generally. The book takes the ¿root-seeking¿ movement with which Mo Yan¿s works are associated as a metaphor for its organizational structure. The four articles of ¿Part I: Leaves¿ focus on Mo Yan¿s works as world literature, exploring the long shadow his works have cast globally. Howard Goldblatt, Mo Yan¿s English translator, explores the difficulties and rewards of interpreting his work, while subsequent articles cover issues such as censorship and the ¿performativity¿ associated with being a global author. ¿Part II: Trunk¿ explores the nativist core of Mo Yan¿s works. Through careful comparative treatment of related historical events, the five articles in this section show how specific literary works intermingle with Chinäs national and international politics, its mid-twentieth-century visual culture, and its rich religious and literary conventions, including humor. The three articles in ¿Part III: Roots¿ delve into the theoretical and practical extensions of Mo Yan¿s works, uncovering the vibrant critical and cultural systems that ground Eastern and Western literatures and cultures. Mo Yan in Context concludes with an epilogue by sociologist Fenggang Yang, offering a personal and globally aware reflection on the recognition Mo Yan¿s works have received at this historical juncture.

Examines a key moment in the development of the modern gay novel by analysing four novels by German, British, and American writers. James P. Wilper studies how the texts are influenced by and respond and react to four schools of thought regarding male homosexuality in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Adopting an empirical and systematic approach, this interdisciplinary study of medieval Persian Sufi tradition and Attr (1145-1221) opens up a new space of comparison for reading and understanding medieval Persian and European literatures. The book invites us on an intellectual journey that reveals exciting intersections that redefine the hierarchies and terms of comparison.

Examines how Afghanistan has been imagined in texts that were published after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent US-led invasion. Through an analysis of fiction, graphic novels, memoirs, drama, and film, the book demonstrates that writing and screening ""Afghanistan"" has become a conduit for understanding our shared post-9/11 condition.

A collection of essays that continues Steven Kellman's work in the fertile field of translingualism, focusing on the phenomenon of switching languages. Topics covered include the significance of translingualism; translation and its challenges; immigrant memoirs; and Ilan Stavans, a prominent translingual author and scholar.

Analyses historical, architectural, visual, literary, and philosophical perspectives on the Western-styled garden that formed part of the great Yuanming Yuan complex in Beijing. Through detailed examination of historical literature and representations, it explores the ways in which the Jesuits accommodated their design within the Chinese cultural context.