The Aesthetics of the Ugly in Postmodernism (V. Sorokin's Novel "Blue Fat" and Mo Yan's Novel "The Land of Wine")

Abstract

The article discusses aesthetic guidelines in postmodern literature. The emphasis is placed on the analysis of the aesthetics of the ugly in the novels of V. Sorokin "Blue Fat" and Mo Yan "The Land of Wine", the similarities and differences of the work of the two writers are revealed. Sorokin and Mo Yan are from two completely different countries, nevertheless their literary style and language are similar. The creativity of both is marked by the presence of multidimensional literary experiments. In "Blue Fat" and "The Land of Wine" there is an abundance of violent scenes, as well as detailed descriptions of violent bloody scenes. Sex scenes are also widely represented in both novels. The description of physiological details and nauseating details also occupies a significant part in both novels. In addition to the aesthetics of the ugly, both writers are heirs of the classical literature of their countries. Both writers create their own artistic world based on the aesthetics of the ugly. Unlike Sorokin, Mo Yang is obsessed with depicting the comparison between good and evil, beautiful and ugly. According to Mo Yan, the world is cruel, but evil can never prevail over good. In "Blue Fat" there are many Chinese elements of everyday life, which gives the novel an oriental flavor. Mo Yan also admits to the influence of Russian classical and Soviet literature on him: in the novel "The Land of Wine" the words of I. Lenin and L. Tolstoy are quoted. All this, as it was shown in the article, proves that the works of Vladimir Sorokin and Mo Yan have existing similarities. The heritage and development of the traditional literature of their country, the reinterpretation of modern society and its values, a self-sufficient artistic world based on the aesthetics of the ugly, is accompanied by an abundance of literary experiments, which allows both writers not only to show their talents in literary circles, but also to successfully demonstrate their own national mentality.