REFLECTIONS AND RECIPROCITY: CHINA AND GERMAN MODERNIST LITERATURE A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN STUDIES AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chiann Karen Tsui November 2013 © 2013 by Chiann Karen Tsui. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/tc929ch0206 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Russell Berman, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Marton Dornbach I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Ban Wang Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost for Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii iv Abstract This dissertation examines the portrayal of China in German modernist literature, as well as the adaptation of said literature in post-Mao China. It analyzes how the German texts of the modernist period negotiate cultural and political identity in the age of imperialism and Orientalism, and how their Chinese interpretations approach similar issues of representation and reform in different decades of China after Mao. How do the de-nationalizing elements of the original German-language writings create resonance with the nationalist aspects found in their contemporary Chinese counterparts? Drawing upon specific examples, I situate the German-language sources and their Chinese adaptations within their literary, cultural and historico- political contexts, and implement a multidisciplinary approach that combines textual analysis with postcolonial theory and cultural studies on global capitalism. Demonstrating how each work addresses and challenges the dominant discourse of its day, my thesis shows the continued influence of Germany literary modernism upon culture and politics in present day China, and argues in support of the existence of dynamic cultural transference between Germany and China. German-language works discussed include: Arthur Schnitzler’s fragment “Boxeraufstand” (1926), Bertolt Brecht’s drama Der gute Mensch von Sezuan (1953), Franz Kafka’s short story “Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer” (1917), and Stefan Zweig’s novella Brief einer Unbekannten (1922). Chinese works discussed include: the Sichaun opera Sichuan Haoren (1987), Can Xue’s essay “Building in Sections: The Artist’s Way of Life” (1997), and Xu Jinglei’s film Letter From an Unknown Woman (2004). v Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my parents, Louis Y. Tsui and Chin-Yu Chen. You’ve always encouraged me in all of my endeavors, and your unwavering support, guidance, trust and love mean the world to me. You’ve believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure of myself, and have pushed me to challenge myself in so many ways. I am so fortunate to have you as my mom and dad. Thank you so much, for everything. Now we’re a whole family of doctors! I’d also like to thank my grandparents, 爺爺 奶奶 and 外公外婆, for providing me with the inspiration and motivation to complete this project. I know that you are proud of me, and I am proud to be your granddaughter. Next, my gratitude and thanks go to my advisor, Prof. Russell A. Berman, for providing me with the guidance, wisdom, advice and feedback regarding my project, from its incipient stages to its final form. Thank you for your thoughts and insights— who knows what my dissertation would have been like without you. Thank you as well for your mentorship, your almost uncanny ability to check in with me at crucial points during the writing process, your understanding and your encouragement. Finally, thank you for including me on projects, big and small, that were both directly and indirectly related to my research interests. I’ve benefited so much from your expertise, leadership and commitment to excellence, and hope to embody those qualities myself one day. I would also like to thank the members of my reading committee, Prof. Ban Wang and Prof. Márton Dornbach, for taking the time to meet, discuss, and offer your perspectives on my project. My dissertation would be on shaky ground without your careful readings, knowledge and input. Thank you for your patience, feedback, conviction and support over the years. I’d also like to express my appreciation and thanks towards Prof. Amir Eshel and Prof. Adrian Daub, who listened to my original thoughts on this project in its prospectus stage and gently helped steer it towards more vi interesting waters. Urging me to utilize my Chinese skills to their fullest extent changed everything; thank you for your involvement. Thank you as well to the graduate students in the German Studies department—your camaraderie has been greatly appreciated, more than you know. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Kalli Federhofer, without whom my interest in German would have stopped before it even began. Lastly, a tremendous outpouring of love and gratitude towards all of my friends. To Angeline, Christine, Alina and Lois, thank you for always being there for me. Your love and support has carried me through this entire process, as have all of the guffaws, food, snark and adventures throughout the years—decades, even. To Chun hua, Megha and Rachel, I don’t know how I would have gotten through grad school without you. Study parties, road trips and lazy/crazy late nights have sustained me as much as anything else. To Mestre Beiçola, thank you for your love, kindness and support. I am proud to be part of the Narahari family. To Elizabeth and the rest of my circus friends, your strength, flexibility, creativity and dedication will always inspire me to attain new heights—literally and figuratively. To Todd, Cam, and the Dandelion crew, thank you for keeping me grounded, and for the sugar highs. To my past and present housemates, Malte, Tim, Luke, Lenny, Carlo, Alison and Patrick, thank you for keeping my spirits buoyant, and for making home such a special place. To everyone else—thank you for believing in me, and for being part of my life. I am who I am because of all of you. vii Table of Contents Chapter One. Introduction 1 Chapter Two. Tradition Meets Modernity: Brecht, Sichuan Opera and Der gute Mensch von Sezuan 41 Chapter Three. Shades of Subversion: Kafka, Can Xue and the Great Wall of China 97 Chapter Four. Politics and the Apolitical: Zweig’s Brief einer Unbekannten in Beijing 143 Chapter Five. Conclusion 181 Appendix 195 Works Cited 197 viii ix Chapter One Introduction This study examines the dynamics of intercultural exchange between China and Germany from both sides of the cultural divide, specifically in terms of literary modernism. It analyzes how German-language modernist literature of the early twentieth century addresses the politics of identity and social reform through an engagement with China and Chinese culture. It also looks at how post-Mao era Chinese cultural and literary productions engage with the same issues by referencing German modernist source materials. Seeing the German-language writings and their Chinese interpretations side by side allows the reader to identify multiple layers of cultural transference, while highlighting the processes of reflection, refraction and reciprocity occurring within them. Via modes of seeing and being seen, the juxtaposition of the German and Chinese works emphasizes the fluid subject/object positioning of the West in relation to China, and vice versa. Thoughts on German-language Modernist Literature and China This project proposes that claims made in postcolonial studies regarding the relationship between the Western European Self and the Chinese Other are insufficient to grasp the dynamic of cultural reciprocity that plays out around German-language modernist literature.1 Rather than reproducing or reinforcing standard Orientalist 1 stereotypes, each German-language work interacts with and often subverts dominant discourses of nationalism, imperialism and modernism through its literary engagement with China. The texts, which create a fictional “contact zone” as defined by Mary Louise Pratt, demonstrate to the reader how the European Self is constituted through its treatment of the Chinese Other “in terms of copresence, interaction, [and] interlocking understandings and practices.”2 Questioning the underlying claims of Orientalism, these German-language works highlight the tension between binaries such as Self/Other and East/West in order to illustrate their limitations and challenge colonialist and imperialist ideology. These narratives suggest that there are more productive ways of understanding and interpreting literature about China than through methodology that emphasizes the critique of Orientalism. Postcolonialist Claims This project refers to Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, explained in his 1978 study of the same name. Although Said focuses primarily on the Orient as defined by Islam, the Near East and the Arabic world, his theory of Orientalism applies to China and the Far East as well.3 Said offers three different but interrelated interpretations of Orientalism. Orientalism concerns the area of research conducted, taught, and written by academics focusing on “the Orient.” Orientalism also provides a way for “the Occident” to think about the Orient; that is, Orientalist thought employs a monolithic East as a starting point for Western discourse regarding the East, forming a binary distinction between the two.