An analysis of narrative perspective in Xi Xi’s Flying Carpet from a reception aesthetics approach

Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510520, China

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Abstract

The core theories of Hans Robert Jauss’s theory of receptive aesthetics, like the horizon of anticipation, have a significant impact on the study of modern and contemporary Chinese literary works. It emphasizes the subjectivity of the reader and holds that the reader’s unique reading activities are what create a work’s aesthetic value. This paper examines the narrative perspectives of Xi Xi’s novel Flying Carpet using the theory of expectation horizons. It concludes that the novel creates unique artistic charms by fitting the audience’s anticipatory vision in three levels of genre, imagery, and implicit expectation through the three narrative perspectives of the civilian perspective, the metaphor of innocence, and the encyclopedic style. It also depicts the process of Hong Kong’s transformation from a small, isolated town into an international metropolis. This creates a distinct artistic charm and is aesthetically consistent with the audience’s expectations, bringing culture closer.