Textualization of Chinese History in Mo Yan’s Change

Abstract

The current research endeavors to observe ‘textualization of history and historicization of text’ in Changeby the Nobel laureate and the most prolific Chinese writer, Mo Yan who reinterprets history unveiling the hidden secrets and internal intricacies. Although the writer declares that it incorporates the events from 1979 to 2009, the events of 1904, 1949 and others have significant space. Historical and fictional events are merged in the text thereby questioning the objective representation of history. The declaration of Republic of China, the Cultural Revolution, Japanese Aggression and China-Vietnam war are presented together with China’s transformation from tradition to modernity, which goes in parallel with the writer’s progress from peasant to a successful writer. As a novella-cum-memoir, it fictionalizes the historical events and presents the life story of the writer from childhood to present career; therefore, it attempts to dismantle the strict generic boundary practiced in literature. Blending history and fiction it gives new shape to literature. Moreover, the voices of the marginalized, excluded and backward people including peasants, workers and labours are raised in the text.