Folk narrative of Mo Yan’s magical realism works - Taking Red Sorghum as an example

Education College, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410205, China

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Abstract

As the first Chinese Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Mo Yan’s works provide a unique solution for the localization and internationalization of Chinese literature by integrating magical realism with Chinese folk narrative traditions. This article takes Red Sorghum as an example to explore how Mo Yan deeply combines the artistic techniques of Latin American magical realism with Chinese local culture, achieving the localization of foreign literary techniques. This article finds that Red Sorghum uses “Gaomi Northeast Township” as a spatial carrier, reconstructs the complexity of the Anti-Japanese War through non-linear narrative, magical imagery, and folk historical perspectives, and subverts the heroic paradigm of traditional revolutionary narrative. This localization path not only activates the modern value of folk narratives, but also challenges official historical hegemony, providing inspiration for Chinese literature to participate in global dialogue.