Jaguscik, Justyna

RERO DOC Digital Library

Hermann, Marc: Leib und (A-)Moral. Ideologie- und Moralkritik im Werk vonZhang Ailing. (Lun Wen – Studien zur Geschichte und Literatur in China; 16).Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2013, 271 S., ISBN 978-3-447-06912-0.Reviewed by Justyna Jaguscik, Abteilung für Sinologie, Asien-Orient-Institut, Universität Zürich,Zürichbergstrasse 4, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland, E-mail: justyna.jaguscik@aoi.uzh.chDOI 10.1515/asia-2015-1026Marc Hermann’s monograph has been published by Harrassowitz Verlag in itsprestigious “Lun Wen” series. Within this framework, the publisher presentsoutstanding dissertations in the fields of pre-modern and modern Chinesestudies recently defended in German-speaking academia. Hermann’s richwork undoubtedly deserves the attention of all readers interested in theintersections of modern Chinese literature and philosophy. Drawing uponexamples from texts by the popular female writer Zhang Ailing 张爱玲(Eileen Chang, 1920–1995), the author sheds light on critical and, morespecifically, anti-ideological dimensions of her works. Furthermore, next tothe widely acknowledged (also by Zhang herself) feeling of desolation andmelancholy that pervade her writings, he discovers, in his own words, a“post-ideological joy”.One cannot disagree with Hermann’s opinion that to date Zhangremains one of the very few Chinese writers whose fame has crossed the wallsof Asian studies departments. There are several reasons behind Zhang’s popu-larity. Aside from her literary talent, her exceptional linguistic skills made thebilingual multicultural writer accessible to an English-speaking readership. Lastbut not least, the controversial film adaptation of her late story “Lust, Caution”by the renowned Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee was awarded the prestigiousGolden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.Within the field of Chinese studies there is an abundance of academic worksdedicated to Zhang Ailing. C. T. Hsia (Xia Zhiqing夏志清, 1921–2013) introducedher during the Cold War era to a Western and Taiwanese professional readershipin his ground-breaking History of Modern Chinese Fiction, 1917–1957 (1961).However, due to political reasons in mainland China, the “Zhang fever” onlybroke out there in the 1990s. Since then, her writings have re-entered for goodthe field of vision of academic and lay readers. In Hermann’s own words, “todayZhang Ailing has arrived in the middle of China’s consumer society” (p. 7).As all details from Zhang’s biography may be easily found elsewhere,Hermann keeps his introduction to her life and works reasonably brief. This isalso understandable in the light of his disapproval of narrow biographicalcriticism. Even if he does not use the term, Hermann’s approach may beASIA 2015; 69(4): 1091–1096Brought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PMdescribed as seeking its basis in concepts and not in a larger methodological ortheoretical framework. Consequently, Hermann devotes the entire third chapter,which follows after short introductory and biographical remarks, to an analysisof a variety of concepts that are crucial for his discussion of Zhang’s writing. Heintroduces them to the reader as follows: the material body versus the felt body1,atmosphere and presence, kynicism (philosophical Cynicism), idealism and cyni-cism2, ideology and critique of morality, post-ideological joy, as well as narcis-sism. In the subsequent parts of the monograph, Hermann consistently developshis analyses around this conceptual matrix. This list of terms already indicatesthat it is an erudite reading nourished by the rich tradition of German philoso-phical thinking.In his theoretical endeavor Hermann focuses on texts by Zhang Ailing thathave often been neglected by literary critique. He rightfully observes that, inspite of the aforementioned popularity of the author, theoretical discussion ofher texts has remained paradoxically biased towards the most famous collectionof short stories Chuanqi 传奇 (Romances, 1944) and, concurrently, guided bysimplifying biographical approaches. Due to these reasons, Hermann opens theinterpretative part of his dissertation with a chapter dedicated to Zhang’s collec-tion of essays Liuyan 流言 (Written on water, 1945).Hermann’s reading centers around the aforementioned list of concepts, withwhich he claims to have embraced the leitmotifs of Zhang’s essayist writing.First he points to a tension, common in many of her works, between the feelingsof melancholy caused by transience and joy about the “here and now”.Furthermore, Hermann foregrounds the kynical and anti-ideological impulsesin Zhang’s writing. He highlights the embeddedness of her texts in the landscapeof the modern city of Shanghai, which, with all its dazzling colors and acridsmells, appeals to all bodily senses. Consequently, the experience of being-in-the-world of the writing persona that resonates in her texts becomes a distinctlycorporeal (leiblich) one. Furthermore, the characters that populated her literaryimagination were often driven by inherently contradictory impulses or bodilydrives, and as such cannot be easily approached in conventional ethical terms.In the course of his argumentation, Hermann convincingly combines theneo-phenomenological terminology of Hermann Schmitz with Peter Sloterdijk’s1 Hermann’s reading of texts by Zhang is rooted in the theoretical terminology of Hermann Schmitz(born 1928), a German philosopher who developed a systematic phenomenological theory of the feltbody (Leib) in his System of Philosophy (1964–1980). To date only one of Schmitz’s essays has beentranslated into English. Whenever possible, I adopt the already existing English translations ofSchmitz’s concepts. For more see Schmitz, Müllan, and Slaby (2011).2 These concepts originate from Critique of Cynical Reason by Peter Sloterdijk (1983).1092 Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – ReviewsBrought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PMunderstanding of the kynic as the one who is countering idealism with her bodilypresence and, sometimes, sheer physiology. Accordingly, he claims, from thebroader sociopsychological point of view, Zhang’s kynicism undermines patrioticideals, and even more prominently, the order of the patriarchal society with itsmoral double standards (p. 41).With this statement, Hermann adds a new dimension to his discussion,that of gender criticism. He discusses in detail the kynical aesthetics of Zhang’swriting, for which he reserves the attribute of femininity. This feminine aes-thetics, in Hermann words, introduces a gaze from below, which eagerlyembraces all trivial aspects of life as well as its purely sensual side. Incontrast, the masculine aesthetics celebrates the sublime and the heroic ofthe Übermensch. Significantly, Hermann remains conscious of the risk ofimposing his own aesthetic categories on Zhang. Consequently, he quotesexcessively from her essay “Ziji de wenzhang” 自己的文章 (Writings of one’sown, 1944) in order to show that his reading agrees with Zhang’s own under-standing of the notion of feminine writing. She described it as grounded in atimeless feeling of placidity (Beschaulichkeit, anwen 安稳) and, sometimes,desolation. Hermann associates the latter mood with what he sees as anothercrucial feature of Zhang’s aesthetics: the equivocal contrast, which counters,according to him, the black-and-white dualism intrinsic to any dogmaticreasoning. Subsequently, Hermann connects Zhang’s aesthetic feminine per-spective with his main argument for the anti-ideological character of herwriting, which seems to subvert any great narrative of the modern era withits innate ambivalences.Nevertheless, Hermann’s argumentation in the following part seems dispu-table from the point of view of feminist or gender-oriented literary criticism. Heclaims that the categories of “femininity” and “masculinity” which appear inZhang’s aesthetic project should be understood in a non-essentializing way and,furthermore, in accordance with the concept of écriture féminine – a femininemode of writing introduced by Hélène Cixous (pp. 56–57). Even if, correctly inmy opinion, he does not explore this slippery theoretical path any further,I wonder how the alleged anti-ideological stance of Zhang Ailing could beconnected with Cixous’s manifesto “The Laugh of the Medusa” (1975), theovertly political text from which the idea of écriture féminine originates.Moreover his claim, that “the woman [in Zhang’s writing] embodies thefelt body (das Leibliche), the material (…) and the corporeal (leibliche) moralityand her humanity is intrinsically embedded in what is [the reality, while]the idealism of men stands for divides, conflicts, and violence” (p. 62) seemsto undermine the alleged non-essentializing perspective on sex and gender.Hence, I doubt whether, in Hermann’s own words, a re-writing by ZhangRezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews 1093Brought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PMAiling of the myth of “woman as nature” into the ironic myth of the “divinewhore”, (p. 68) does genuinely subvert any conventional order of gender repre-sentation. Rather than in a brief critique of gender studies, which seems out ofplace in this chapter, I would be much more interested in the phenomenologicalperspective on the distinct female body experience that figures prominently inZhang Ailing’s works. It is a viewpoint that seems worth inquiring into, as itpromises to deliver a new vocabulary for theorizing the sexed body withoutfalling into the trap of gender essentialism.Even if the focus of Hermann’s monograph is on the less-discussed texts,he devotes the fifth chapter of the monograph to a selection from Zhang’sRomances. Instead of repeating the arguments of his predecessors, he proposesan innovative reading of some of the stories from the collection which revolvesaround one of his key concepts listed above: narcissism. Drawing uponexamples from one of the most popular stories, “Hong meigui yu bai meigui”红玫瑰与白玫瑰 (“Red rose, white rose”, 1944). Hermann demonstrates how,in the figure of the protagonist Tong Zhenbao, Zhang had delivered a masterfulrepresentation of male narcissism. Furthermore, Hermann skillfully moves inhis discussion of the narcissistic subject between different registers: the cultural,metapsychological and socio-political. Narcissism turns into a descriptionof modern man’s self-positioning as an omnipotent superman in perfectcommand of his inner and outer world. In Hermann’s opinion, with thefemale protagonist of the story, Wang Jiaorui, Zhang has introduced a newoutlook on feminine subjectivity into modern Chinese literature, which isembedded in the felt body and as such lays bare the powerful illusion of themasculine ideal self.In the longest sixth chapter Hermann turns to a close reading of ZhangAiling’s novels, which were strongly influenced by great political projects, thoseof Maoism and anticommunism of the Cold War era. In the light of his majorclaim about the anti-ideological tenor of Zhang’s works, this part is of crucialimportance. In the opening section of this chapter, Hermann delivers an insight-ful analysis of texts that were, in his opinion, rejected by the majority of literarycritics for being nothing more than an ideological masquerade by a desperateauthor with a dangerously incorrect class background and a hazardous privatepast. Hermann makes the parallel reading of the original version of the novelShiba chun 十八春 (Eighteen Springs, 1950 in mainland China) and its laterrevised version, which appeared in Taiwan in 1968, his point of departure forthe in-depth discussion of these two texts. He argues that the latter version,where all previously central positive Communist ideologemes are absent, may beread as a negative critique of ideology (negative Ideologiekritik). Furthermore,Hermann observes, the relative ease with which Zhang managed to re-write1094 Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – ReviewsBrought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PMthe original texts shows that, rather than simply to discard the novel as act ofconformism, one may read it against the grain and find the “true” authorialvoice behind the ideological veil. Thus, in the subsequent reading of thenovel, Hermann resorts to the previously introduced aesthetic categories, suchas the equivocal contrast that counters the typical sharp contrast of socialrealism, between heroes and villains. He suggests that, simply by changingthe ending of the second version of the novel, Zhang Ailing re-created a workthat fits perfectly into her repertoire, with its mood of sadness and desolationover human impotence.In an interesting move, Hermann turns in the closing part of the chapter tothe discussion of two sister novels by Zhang Ailing, which were sponsored bythe US Information Service: The Rice Sprout Song and Chidi zhi lian 赤地之恋(Naked Earth, 1954). In both cases she completed a Chinese and an Englishversion of the book manuscript. Hermann focuses his discussion on the firstnovel, which he interprets as not simply an anti-Communist, but much moreanti-ideological work. He argues that the prevalent reading of the novel ashaving an anti-Communist bias is too myopic. Hermann suggests that, in TheRice Sprout Song, Zhang shows the inhumanity essential to any ideologicalstance, be it Communist or other. He puts forth that, with the described imposi-tion of the linguistic greed of Communism on the village, paradoxically the oldpower structures have remained largely intact. Hence, he argues, Zhang focusedin her writing on various strategies implemented by the villagers in order toadjust to the new political system that had been forced on them. Subsequently,Hermann identifies (self-)deception or hypocrisy as the central theme ofthe book, especially in the face of the famine. The novel shows clearly that,from the point of view of those in power, an ideologically correct performancewas much more important to the authorities than peoples’ genuine thoughts andemotions. Again, Hermann points to Zhang’s fondness for the kynical worldview.To her, the corporeal embeddedness of her (female) protagonists in theirlived world was much closer than in any idealist stances represented by thepropagators of the new ideological regime.In the closing part of this chapter Hermann discusses some critical featuresshared by both novels, The Rice Sprout Song andNaked Earth, which seem strikinglyrelevant even from today’s perspective. On the one hand, the cynical focus oncorrect word-performance, and, on the other hand, the party members’ narcissisticfascination with power and symbolic or material signs of social privilege.In the closing chapter, Hermann delivers his reading of what is perhaps ZhangAiling’s internationally best-known story, “Se, jie”色，戒 (“Lust, Caution”, 1978).The success of the loose film adaptation of the text by Ang Li triggered a globalwave of interest in the author’s writing. Hermann remains consequently faithful toRezensionen – Comptes rendus – Reviews 1095Brought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PMhis conceptual grid and discusses the feminine aesthetics of Zhang’s writing asanti-ideological and a-moral. According to him, in this story she deconstructed therevolutionary and romantic ideals shared by many of the patriotic “new youth” inChina at the beginning of the twentieth century. Finally, she left no space forillusions: in this text love, revolution and any other “great narratives” dissolveinto emptiness.This short overview of Marc Hermann’s work is selective and as such doesnot do justice to its theoretical depth. It is an ambitious and dense text, but, asshould also be stressed here, at the same time one that proves beyond doubt theauthor’s exceptional linguistic and translation skills. The clear and consciouslanguage will make the book accessible not only for senior scholars of Chineseliterature, but also for students as well as lay readers interested in modernChinese literature and philosophy. The author did not spare any efforts tomake his work comprehensible, without compromising in terms of theoreticalsophistication. For example, going against the already widespread convention ofleaving quotations in English untranslated, he proposes apt renditions of allnon-German text quoted in the book. In conclusion, Leib und (A-)Moral is achallenging work and a much-welcome, insightful enrichment to the corpus ofsecondary literature on Zhang Ailing. It is worth reading and discussing, espe-cially from the perspective of gender-oriented literary criticism and from thehistory of women’s literature in Chinese.ReferencesSchmitz, Hermann/Müllan, Rudolf Owen/Slaby, Jan (2011): “Emotions Outside the Box – theNew Phenomenology of Feeling and Corporeality”. Phenomenology and the CognitiveScience 14.52: 241–259Sloterdijk, Peter (1983): Kritik der zynischen Vernunft. 2vols. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.1096 Rezensionen – Comptes rendus – ReviewsBrought to you by | Universitaetsbibliothek BaselAuthenticatedDownload Date | 4/29/19 3:46 PM

Hermann, Marc: Leib und (A-)Moral. Ideologie- und Moralkritik im Werk von Zhang Ailing

http://doc.rero.ch/record/326074/files/asia-2015-1026.pdf

Hermann, Marc: Leib und (A-)Moral. Ideologie- und Moralkritik im Werk von Zhang Ailing

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

RERO DOC Digital Library