Bulletin Number Four 1985

Comparative L iterature Conference 一 Narrative in a Chinese-Western Context The first half o f this decade has witnessed an intense interest by P.R.C. scholars in the field o f Chinese- Western Comparative literature studies. During this brief period, a half dozen full-length books have been published; two journals (one in Chinese and one in English) are devoted exclusively to the discipline, and numerous institutions have begun courses on both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In October, the National Comparative literature Association o f China w ill be formally inaugurated at Shenzhen University on the occasion o f a three- week workshop and conference. One year ago the Comparative literature Research Unit o f the English Department felt the time was ripe for an exchange o f scholarly ideas between scholars in Hong Kong and the P.R.C. An organizing committee was formed (Drs. Ying-hsiung Chou, John J. Deeney, Peter Glassman, Michael Holstein, Thomas Yun-tong Luk, and Heh-hsiang Yuan) and the topics were chosen w ith the intention o f testing a variety o f comparative perspectives. The Conference was held in 2nd —7th September, 1985. The participants were invited to probe more deeply into some o f the basic assumption in com­ parative literature studies: To what extent can com­ parisons be fru itfu lly made between literatures which are not historically or genetically connected? To what extent can interdisciplinary considerations unfold unnoticed layers o f meaning in literary texts? To what extent are common views on what constitutes the definition o f a given genre valid? To what extent do ideological considerations inform the literary text and determine its merit? To what extent can we say that a given text or portion o f a text is distinctively Chinese or distinctively Western? What makes it so? What cultural sensibilities are revealed by considering these works together? The texts chosen for comparison did not pro­ duce the conventional influence type o f study in which direct contact o f one kind or another is the issue. Rather, the texts stimulated spirited exchanges, in which all the speakers and discussants voiced their opinions. The approaches suggested and the texts selected were: I . The treatments o f cultural history in narrative prose: War and Peace San K uo, or The Romance o f the Three Kingdoms, trans., C.H. Brewitt-Taylor II. Thematic structures and the significances o f memory in autobiography: The Confessions o f Jean-Jacques Rousseau, trans., J.M. Cohen Shen Fu: Six Records o f a Floating Life, trans., Leonard Pratt and Chiang Su-hui or Ba Jin's Random Thoughts, trans., Geremie Barm é III. Formal and generic innovations in fiction: To the Lighthouse Wang Wen-hsing's Chia-pien IV . Presentations o f ideology/philosophy in literature: Don Quixote, trans., M. Cohen and/or Ah Q or Journey to the West, trans., Anthony C. Yu or W.J .F. Jenner V. Fictional portrayals o f self and society: Pride and Prejudice Dream o f Red Mansions, trans., Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang or The Story o f the Stone, trans., David Hawkes and John Minford Although the papers were written in English the official languages o f the Conference were Mandarin and English. The main task o f simultaneous inter­ pretation was carried out by Dr. Philip Shen, Mr. Rupert Chan, Dr. Simon Chau from The Chinese University and Ms. Wang Jiaxiang andMr. WuNingkun from the P.R.C. In addition to sixteen papers read by P.R.C. participants, there were also papers by Professor John Preston o f the Department o f English Studies and Comparative literatu re, Hong Kong University, and our own contributions by Drs. Chou Ying-hsiung, Peter Glassman ， and John J. Deeney. During the discussion periods, other colleagues from the P.R.C., The Chinese University, and Hong Kong University, enlivened the proceedings w ith fresh and original comments. In the final round-table session, we were privileged to have presentations made by Mr. Yang Zhouhan (Peking University), recently elected Vice- president o f the International Comparative literature Association, and Mr. Sun Jingyao (Guangxi Univer- NEWS 5