Ma Yuan: The Chinese Avant-Garde, Metafiction, and Post-Postmodernism

Ma Yuan is a Chinese contemporary author who has written metafiction, which functions as Foucauldian heterotopias that create post-modern and post-socialist possible worlds. This book explores his recent post-2000 output and argues that his works display a distinct movement towards metamodern aesthetics alongside a rising anthropocenic awareness and eco-consciousness, offering insights into the post-postmodern condition in a Chinese context.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

Ma Yuan, a prominent contemporary author from China, has been the subject of extensive research in Ma Yuan: The Chinese Avant-Garde, Metafiction, and Post-Postmodernism. Through meticulous analysis of narratologically intricate works of metafiction, the author delves into the profound impact of Ma Yuan on the emergence of postmodern fiction in China. By showcasing that Ma Yuan's metafictional creations were not merely formalistic wordplay or narrative gimmicks but rather heterotopias that facilitated the creation of distinctly post-modern and post-socialist "possible worlds," the book offers a fresh perspective on his role within the Chinese Avant-Garde movement of the 1980s. Furthermore, the book explores Ma Yuan's recent output post-2000, shedding light on the evolving dynamics of literary self-reflexivity and the "Post-postmodern" within the contemporary context of the "Xi Jinping era modernity." Central to the book's argument is the observation that Ma Yuan's recent works exhibit a distinct inclination towards "metamodern aesthetics," coupled with a growing anthropocenic awareness and eco-consciousness. These aspects provide valuable insights into the post-postmodern condition within a Chinese context, offering a profound understanding of the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Chinese society.

Ma Yuan, a prominent contemporary author from China, has been the subject of extensive research in Ma Yuan: The Chinese Avant-Garde, Metafiction, and Post-Postmodernism. Through meticulous analysis of narratologically intricate works of metafiction, the author delves into the profound impact of Ma Yuan on the emergence of postmodern fiction in China. By showcasing that Ma Yuan's metafictional creations were not merely formalistic wordplay or narrative gimmicks but rather heterotopias that facilitated the creation of distinctly post-modern and post-socialist "possible worlds," the book offers a fresh perspective on his role within the Chinese Avant-Garde movement of the 1980s. Furthermore, the book explores Ma Yuan's recent output post-2000, shedding light on the evolving dynamics of literary self-reflexivity and the "Post-postmodern" within the contemporary context of the "Xi Jinping era modernity." Central to the book's argument is the observation that Ma Yuan's recent works exhibit a distinct inclination towards "metamodern aesthetics," coupled with a growing anthropocenic awareness and eco-consciousness. These aspects provide valuable insights into the post-postmodern condition within a Chinese context, offering a profound understanding of the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Chinese society.

Weight: 517g
Dimension: 228 x 159 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793609014