From Ah Q to Lei Feng Freud and Revolutionary Spirit in 20th Century China [Hardcover]

When Freudian sexual theory hit China in the early 20th century, it ran up against competing models of the mind from both Chinese tradition and the new revolutionary culture. Chinese theorists of the mindboth traditional intellectuals and revolutionary psychologists steadily put forward the anti-Freud: a mind shaped not by deep interiority that must be excavated by professionals, but shaped instead by social and cultural interactions.

Chinese novelists and film directors understood this focus and its relationship to Mao's revolutionary ethos, and much of the literature of twentieth-century China reflects the spiritual qualities of the revolutionary mind.From Ah Q to Lei Fenginvestigates the continual clash of these contrasting models of the mind provided by Freud and revolutionary Chinese culture, and explores how writers and filmmakers negotiated with the implications of each model.

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From Ah Q to Lei Fengtraces the contrasting models of the mind provided by Freud and revolutionary Chinese culture, investigates their clash over the 20th century, and shows how writers and filmmakers negotiated with the implications of each.Wendy Larson is a Professor of Modern Chinese Literature at the University of Oregon. She has published extensively on 20th century Chinese culture, includingWomen and Writing in Modern China(Stanford, 1998). This is an important study for anyone interested in modern and contemporary China and its revolutionary culture. Embedded with fascinating insights into a wide range of issues such as subject-formation, collective consciousness, and the nation/state construction, this book breaks new ground in our understanding of China's revolutionary culture and complex heritage. This book is rich in detail and sweeping in scope. It should reach a readership beyond the immediate field of Chinese studies. Delving into the psychic and emotional roots of political culture in modern China, Larson's look offers many inl£Ý