Kilian 1 Patrick Kilian Dr.

Shelly Chan Lu Xun and Mo Yan 24 March 2010 Final Paper Proposal Tentative Title: [Insert Something Catchy Here]: Mo Yans Persistent Use of Animal Symbolism as a Continuation of Lu Xuns Thoughts Presented in Mad Mans Diary Since I was a child living in the turbulent and ever-changing environs of Beijing, the use of animals in Chinese lore has bewitched me. From the Chinese Zodiac to the impetuous Monkey King to the philosophy of reincarnation espoused by Buddhist believers, animals inform every aspect of Chinese life; its daily superstitions and cultural clichs, its collective literary consciousness, and part of its rich and varied philosophical or religious tradition to name a few. After Darwins Theory of Evolution arrived on Chinas eastern shores, Lu Xun, with his groundbreaking short story Mad Mans Diary, made heavy use of animals to show the subtle ways in which traditional Chinese culture dehumanizes and numbs its people. In addition, Lu Xuns incorporation of Darwins western science in the preeminent work of Call to Arms represents a literary urging for his countrymen to put their faith in the advances of science and technology in their struggle to modernize and free themselves from the second-class citizenship status in their own country. This paper will address the ways in which Mo Yans use of animal imagery in his various works is a continuation of these trends, with respect both to how the animals bear on the status of people in Mo Yans literary worldview and to how his use of animals as persistent symbols relates to broader philosophical concepts such as the espousal of technologies.