Appeal to Chinese and Foreign Culture in Dong Xi’s Novel “Echo”

Abstract

The article deals with the precedent phenomena that form the cultural and historical space of the novel by the modern Chinese writer Dong Xi “Echo” (2021). In Chinese literature, references to other texts have been widely used at all times, and this tradition continues to this day. Writers of Dong Xi’s (b. 1966) generation all as one acknowledge the influence of foreign literature on their fiction. Echoes of background knowledge in one form or another fill the space of their works. The novel “Echo” is a clear confirmation of this. On its pages we found more than 80 precedent names, about 40 titles of literary and other works, as well as 15 citations. Thanks to their active use, precedent phenomena, both of Chinese and foreign origin, not only get rooted in the language, but are preserved in cultural memory and public consciousness. The wide use of precedent texts, situations, names and sayings from Chinese and foreign sources in this novel makes it possible to conduct a representative analysis and determine the content of such inclusions, their role and functions, as well as to characterize the main ways of introducing them into the fabric of the narrative. The classification of precedent phenomena according to their origin allowed us to determine the scale of the development of various cultures, as well as the peculiarities of their perception in the worldview picture of Dong Xi. Along with this, foreign readers get the opportunity to figure a cultural portrait of a modern, educated Chinese. The proposed study gives an idea of the scale and nature of the development of foreign culture in China, and also reveals the state of intercultural relations in a certain historical period. In addition, the introduction of precedent phenomena into the text of the novel can be considered as a manifestation of intertextuality in its various aspects, including a kind of game between the writer and the reader, which makes it possible to reveal the commonality of background knowledge with the author of the work.