Left-wing thoughts and canonization of Fang Xiu’s Literary History / Li Mei

Li , Mei (2024) Left-wing thoughts and canonization of Fang Xiu’s Literary History / Li Mei. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

In the early 20th century, Malaysian Chinese literature (MCL) became intricately entwined with left-wing ideologies, shaping a distinct political poetics. Following Malaya’s independence, Fang Xiu meticulously chronicled MCL’s history, not only preserving its literary legacy but also perpetuating the tradition of left-wing literature into the post-colonial era. This culminated in the establishment of a literary canon centered around left-wing realism. Commencing at the interface of Fang’s literary history and left-wing, this thesis examines his literary historical narrative through the lens of “historical textuality” within New Historicism. The thesis begins by examining Fang Xiu's self-construction of left-wing subjectivity and the formation of his awareness of left-wing literary historiography, grounded in the historical context after his move to Nanyang, his literary trajectory, personal experiences, and early work on literary historical materials. It then explores the textual construction of Fang Xiu's literary historical works, analyzing the paradigm shifts across different periods and the temporal fluidity of leftist thought. Following this, the paper considers the intertextuality of Fang Xiu's literary historiography with Chinese literature, highlighting their deep connections in terms of theoretical frameworks, spiritual resources, and textual content. Subsequently, the focus shifts to the relatively stable left-wing aesthetic principles Fang Xiu established in constructing literary history canons, such as his commitment to realism, the aesthetics of suffering, and the popularization of the masses. Finally, the paper attempts to address the contemporary challenges faced by left-wing literary studies following the rise of Malaysian Chinese modernism and the historiographical dilemmas emerging from the rewriting of Malaysian Chinese literary history. Currently, there are diverse perspectives on rewriting literary history in the MCL’s sphere, engaging in continual clashes that stimulate the imagination for a new paradigm of historical writing. However, the practical implementation of rewriting literary history is relatively lagging. A contributing factor to this paradoxical situation lies in addressing the complexities of left-wing aesthetics, that is, how to engage in a meaningful dialogue with history. Revisiting Fang’s literary history may unveil new possibilities for the future historiography of MCL through interactive dialogue with history.

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