title: Themes and Images in Liu Zhenyun’s Novel “Strange Bedfellows”
metadata.name: dc.contributor.author
metadata.value: Rodionova, Oxana P.
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.accessioned
metadata.value: 2020-04-28T12:05:07Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.available
metadata.value: 2020-04-28T12:05:07Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.issued
metadata.value: 2020-03
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.citation
metadata.value: Rodionova O. P. Themes and Images in Liu Zhenyun’s Novel “Strange Bedfellows”. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies, 2020, vol. 12, issue 1, pp. 66–87.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.identifier.other
metadata.value: https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu13.2020.105
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.uri
metadata.value: http://hdl.handle.net/11701/17405
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.description.abstract
metadata.value: The paper examines themes and images in the novel by Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun (b. 1958)
  “Strange Bedfellows” (2017), which on the one hand is an attempt to comprehend the interpersonal
  relationships and human existence in the era of technical progress, and, on the
  other, follows the tradition of spiritual quests in Chinese and world literature. The themes
  and images of the novel highlight a number of problems of modern Chinese society related to
  the cultural and ethnopsychological features of the Chinese nation. The fundamental theme
  of Liu Zhenyun’s new novel is the national character of the Chinese. Among Chinese writers,
  who brilliantly explored the subject, the contributions of Lu Xun (1881–1936), Lao She
  (1899–1966) and Lin Yutang (1895–1976) are the most significant. In the novel “Strange Bedfellows”
  Liu Zhenyun continues to ridicule the vices of his contemporaries. A distinctive feature
  of his work is the presence of an invisible, but ubiquitous crowd of Internet onlookers. The characters of the novel “Strange Bedfellows” are infected with a thirst for benefits. Shrewdness,
  mercantilism and deception run the show. Liu Zhenyun gives these traits to heroes of all social
  strata. There are no boundaries between positive and negative characters in his works.
  Besides, the writer considers the problem of corruption of the people and the authorities. On
  the one hand, it is revealed through the topics outlined above, and on the other — through the
  theme of the fight against corruption and luxurious lifestyle. The author makes it clear that the
  good intentions of the leadership to eradicate the phenomena of moral decay do not so much
  awaken good intentions in people, but rather trigger the mechanism of revenge. The system of
  snitching undermines the foundations of human nature and as a consequence, Liu Zhenyun
  addresses the problem of communication among the people. Reflecting on the challenges of
  the digital era and the prospects of Internet reality, Liu Zhenyun paints a picture of the consequences
  of moral disorientation of compatriots. Having inherited the literary tradition laid
  down by outstanding writers of the 20th century and developing the themes of his previous
  novels, the writer comes to the conclusion that new technologies aggravates the vices of the
  national character, which in the presence of the omnipresent virtual crowd provoke a herd
  mentality.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.language.iso
metadata.value: ru
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.publisher
metadata.value: St Petersburg State University
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.relation.ispartofseries
metadata.value: Vestnik of St Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies;Volume 12; Issue 1
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: Liu Zhenyun
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: “Strange Bedfellows”
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: national character
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: Chinese literature
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.title
metadata.value: Themes and Images in Liu Zhenyun’s Novel “Strange Bedfellows”
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.type
metadata.value: Article
metadata.lang: en_GB
resources.filename: 66-87.pdf
resources.url: https://dspace.spbu.ru/bitstream/11701/17405/1/66-87.pdf
resources.format: Adobe PDF
resources.size: 753,18 kB