Deconstructing the May Fourth Enlightenment Discourse: A comparison of Bai Xianyong’s Winter Night and Lu Xun’s In the Tavern

Department of Chinese Language and Literature (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University Zhuhai, Guangdong, China

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Abstract

This paper takes Bai Xianyong’s Winter Night and Lu Xun’s In the Tavern as research subjects. Through close reading and cross-textual comparison, it explores the strategies used by the two writers to deconstruct the discourse of the May Fourth Enlightenment. Both works use fragmented historical memories, metaphors of body politics, and a narrative of spatial displacement to reveal the alienation of Enlightenment thought and the cultural identity crisis among mid-20th century Chinese intellectuals. Bai Xianyong explores the healing role of traditional culture in the enlightenment dilemma from the perspective of cultural identity; Lu Xun used irony to express despair, revealing the spiritual paralysis of the enlightened. The two authors have jointly completed a critical reconstruction of the May Fourth Enlightenment discourse. In the context of current globalization and cultural diversity, this cross- temporal and cross-spatial comparative analysis will provide important literary references for understanding the identity and cultural choices of intellectuals.