title: The tension of national allegory: the search for Chinese identity and modernity – an analysis of Chinese literature in the post-Mao era in the context of globalization

authors: Nie, Mao

abstract: This dissertation focuses on an analysis of Chinese literature in the post-Mao era in the context of globalization. It utilizes Fredric Jameson's third-world cultural theory, particularly his ideas relating to national allegory, and applies theoretical constructs, such as postmodernism (e.g the theories of Jean-Francois Lyotard), postcolonial theory (e.g Edward Said’s Orientalism), Julia Kristeva’s intertextuality, the carnival theory and the idea of polyphony put forward by M. M. Bakhin, the theories of Michel Foucault, Wilhelm Reich’s character analysis, and Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis. The dissertation provides a focused textual analysis of a number of literary trends that emerged in contemporary China, namely, Scar literature, Misty poetry, Root-Seeking literature, Avant-garde literature and New Realism literature. It decodes a selection of representative works from each of these literary schools, and interprets the characteristics of the key literary groups of each period. By doing so, it attempts to enrich and develop the established western theories referred to above by means of an analytical rereading of the selected texts.

The first aim of my analysis is to attain a measure of “historical depth”. For this purpose, as one example, Scar by Lu Xinhua (published in 1978) is reread intertextually with Benediction by Lu Xun (published in 1928), and with The Song of Youth by Yang Mo (published in 1958). The critical perspective adopted develops further both Julia Kristeva’s theory of intertextuality and M.M. Bakhin’s carnival configuration, as well as providing new insights into the “national allegory” theory of Fredric Jameson.

Second, my analysis aims to achieve a “synchronal broadness”, as can be evidenced in the examination of Root-Seeking literature where an analogy is drawn between Bababa and Nununu by Han Shaogong. The analysis not only employs Fredric Jameson’s theories as reference, it also applies Kristeva’s feminism, theories from Michel Foucault and Wilhelm Reich, as well as relevant theories from post-modernism and post-colonialism. By means of a thorough decoding of these two texts with a similar motif, but different story lines, written by the same author, we find that they display the textual elements of a strong rational design, reflecting an imagined utopian order that is characteristic of all Root-seeking literature.

Furthermore, the methodology intends to create a “three-dimensional solidness,” as is shown in the supra-spatiotemporal and multi-dimensional psychoanalysis of the poetry by Yi Lei of the Misty Poetry school. It is sometimes believed that modern “Han poetry” separated itself from ancient classical literature, deviating from Chinese cultural tradition. This rebellion against tradition and the succumbing to Western literature, it is posited, have deprived modern Chinese poetry of its Chineseness and generated a double crisis - a “temporal crisis,” which means lagging behind the West, and a “normative crisis,” which means always being inferior to the Western original. This has resulted in calls for the development of a style of poetry that can be regarded as truly original. The analysis in this dissertation of the Misty poetry school provides an answer to the intrinsic relationship between '”Chineseness” and “global universality”, the individual “small I” and the national “big I”.

As another example, the works of the two writers Ma Yuan and Yu Hua, whose aesthetic tendencies are diametrically opposite, are examined, followed by a review of the avant-garde work The Little House on the Hill by Can Xue. In addition, a number of interpretations of The Landscape by Fang Fang are analyzed from different perspectives.

In conclusion, the Chinese literature of the post-Mao era has its own unique literary features and textual messages. Influences, both traditional and contemporary, local and international, have imbued it with elements that belong, variously, to the categories of “pre-modern”, “modern” and “postmodern”. It reveals that in contemporary China “an intrinsic mode” or “cultural order” exists of subversion and rehabilitation, disintegration and reconstruction, deviation and normalization, edge and center, ruler and ruled, underground and open, undercurrent and mainstream, the elite and the populace, official and non-governmental, commerce and politics, mass media and power. This is the complexity of the culture that explains how the ever-developing Chinese literature of the post-Mao era has at once its own intrinsic “boundaries” as well as “limitless” space for creative invention.

Thus, the most important feature or contribution of this dissertation is that through a critical dissection of a selection of key, representative works, new insights can be gleaned into the layers of rich textual meaning underlying each narrative, thereby enabling a deeper and a more comprehensive appreciation of the significance of contemporary Chinese literature within a global context.

text: The tension of national allegory: the search for Chinese identity and modernity – an analysis of Chinese literature in the post-Mao era in the context of globalization This dissertation focuses on an analysis of Chinese literature in the post-Mao era in the context of globalization. It utilizes Fredric Jameson's third-world cultural theory, particularly his ideas relating to national allegory, and applies theoretical constructs, such as postmodernism (e.g the theories of Jean-Francois Lyotard), postcolonial theory (e.g Edward Said’s Orientalism), Julia Kristeva’s intertextuality, the carnival theory and the idea of polyphony put forward by M. M. Bakhin, the theories of Michel Foucault, Wilhelm Reich’s character analysis, and Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis. The dissertation provides a focused textual analysis of a number of literary trends that emerged in contemporary China, namely, Scar literature, Misty poetry, Root-Seeking literature, Avant-garde literature and New Realism literature. It decodes a selection of representative works from each of these literary schools, and interprets the characteristics of the key literary groups of each period. By doing so, it attempts to enrich and develop the established western theories referred to above by means of an analytical rereading of the selected texts.

The first aim of my analysis is to attain a measure of “historical depth”. For this purpose, as one example, Scar by Lu Xinhua (published in 1978) is reread intertextually with Benediction by Lu Xun (published in 1928), and with The Song of Youth by Yang Mo (published in 1958). The critical perspective adopted develops further both Julia Kristeva’s theory of intertextuality and M.M. Bakhin’s carnival configuration, as well as providing new insights into the “national allegory” theory of Fredric Jameson.

Second, my analysis aims to achieve a “synchronal broadness”, as can be evidenced in the examination of Root-Seeking literature where an analogy is drawn between Bababa and Nununu by Han Shaogong. The analysis not only employs Fredric Jameson’s theories as reference, it also applies Kristeva’s feminism, theories from Michel Foucault and Wilhelm Reich, as well as relevant theories from post-modernism and post-colonialism. By means of a thorough decoding of these two texts with a similar motif, but different story lines, written by the same author, we find that they display the textual elements of a strong rational design, reflecting an imagined utopian order that is characteristic of all Root-seeking literature.

Furthermore, the methodology intends to create a “three-dimensional solidness,” as is shown in the supra-spatiotemporal and multi-dimensional psychoanalysis of the poetry by Yi Lei of the Misty Poetry school. It is sometimes believed that modern “Han poetry” separated itself from ancient classical literature, deviating from Chinese cultural tradition. This rebellion against tradition and the succumbing to Western literature, it is posited, have deprived modern Chinese poetry of its Chineseness and generated a double crisis - a “temporal crisis,” which means lagging behind the West, and a “normative crisis,” which means always being inferior to the Western original. This has resulted in calls for the development of a style of poetry that can be regarded as truly original. The analysis in this dissertation of the Misty poetry school provides an answer to the intrinsic relationship between '”Chineseness” and “global universality”, the individual “small I” and the national “big I”.

As another example, the works of the two writers Ma Yuan and Yu Hua, whose aesthetic tendencies are diametrically opposite, are examined, followed by a review of the avant-garde work The Little House on the Hill by Can Xue. In addition, a number of interpretations of The Landscape by Fang Fang are analyzed from different perspectives.

In conclusion, the Chinese literature of the post-Mao era has its own unique literary features and textual messages. Influences, both traditional and contemporary, local and international, have imbued it with elements that belong, variously, to the categories of “pre-modern”, “modern” and “postmodern”. It reveals that in contemporary China “an intrinsic mode” or “cultural order” exists of subversion and rehabilitation, disintegration and reconstruction, deviation and normalization, edge and center, ruler and ruled, underground and open, undercurrent and mainstream, the elite and the populace, official and non-governmental, commerce and politics, mass media and power. This is the complexity of the culture that explains how the ever-developing Chinese literature of the post-Mao era has at once its own intrinsic “boundaries” as well as “limitless” space for creative invention.

Thus, the most important feature or contribution of this dissertation is that through a critical dissection of a selection of key, representative works, new insights can be gleaned into the layers of rich textual meaning underlying each narrative, thereby enabling a deeper and a more comprehensive appreciation of the significance of contemporary Chinese literature within a global context.

year: 2003

title: Rapid progradation of the Pliocene-Pleistocene continental margin, northern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, and implications

authors: Hansen, Rochelle J.

subjects: Taranaki Basin

abstract: Progradation and aggradation of the modern continental margin in northern Taranaki Basin has resulted in the deposition of a thick and rapidly accumulated Pliocene-Pleistocene sedimentary succession. It includes the predominantly muddy Giant Foresets Formation, and the underlying sandy Mangaa Formation. Investigation of the internal attributes and depositional systems associated with the Giant Foresets Formation suggests that it would provide very little effective reservoir for hydrocarbon accumulations, although it does provide essential seal and overburden properties. While the sand-dominated Mangaa Formation could be a hydrocarbon reservoir, drilling so far has yet to reveal any significant hydrocarbon shows. Undoubtedly the most significant contribution that the Giant Foresets and Mangaa Formations have had on petroleum systems in northern Taranaki Basin is the cumulative effect that rapid and substantial accumulation has had on maturation and migration of hydrocarbons in the underlying formations.
Palinspastic restoration of a seismic reflection profile across the Northern Graben, together with isopach mapping of stratigraphic section for biostratigraphic stages, indicates that the thickest part of the Pliocene-Pleistocene succession is along the central axis of the Northern Graben. Deposition of this succession contributed substantially to subsidence within the graben, providing further accommodation for sediment accumulation. Isopach and structure contour maps also reveal the extent to which submarine volcanic massifs were exposed along the axis of the graben and the timing of movement on major faults.

text: Rapid progradation of the Pliocene-Pleistocene continental margin, northern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, and implications Progradation and aggradation of the modern continental margin in northern Taranaki Basin has resulted in the deposition of a thick and rapidly accumulated Pliocene-Pleistocene sedimentary succession. It includes the predominantly muddy Giant Foresets Formation, and the underlying sandy Mangaa Formation. Investigation of the internal attributes and depositional systems associated with the Giant Foresets Formation suggests that it would provide very little effective reservoir for hydrocarbon accumulations, although it does provide essential seal and overburden properties. While the sand-dominated Mangaa Formation could be a hydrocarbon reservoir, drilling so far has yet to reveal any significant hydrocarbon shows. Undoubtedly the most significant contribution that the Giant Foresets and Mangaa Formations have had on petroleum systems in northern Taranaki Basin is the cumulative effect that rapid and substantial accumulation has had on maturation and migration of hydrocarbons in the underlying formations.
Palinspastic restoration of a seismic reflection profile across the Northern Graben, together with isopach mapping of stratigraphic section for biostratigraphic stages, indicates that the thickest part of the Pliocene-Pleistocene succession is along the central axis of the Northern Graben. Deposition of this succession contributed substantially to subsidence within the graben, providing further accommodation for sediment accumulation. Isopach and structure contour maps also reveal the extent to which submarine volcanic massifs were exposed along the axis of the graben and the timing of movement on major faults.

year: 2004

title: Te Poutikanga

authors: Maxwell, Te Kahautu

abstract: Te Poutikanga was composed to pay homage to the newly appointed spiritual leader of Te Haahi Ringatū Mr Wirangi Pera who was appointed on the 1 January 2014. This composition was performed by ŌpōtikiMai Tawhiti at the Mātaatua Regional Kapa Haka Competition and placed first in the Whakawātea discipline.

text: Te Poutikanga Te Poutikanga was composed to pay homage to the newly appointed spiritual leader of Te Haahi Ringatū Mr Wirangi Pera who was appointed on the 1 January 2014. This composition was performed by ŌpōtikiMai Tawhiti at the Mātaatua Regional Kapa Haka Competition and placed first in the Whakawātea discipline.

year: 2014-01-25