The Science Fictional Imagination of World Literature: Taking the Hybridity of “Good Hunting” as an Example

Abstract

Abstract: The connotation and possible forms of world literature have been transformed by thought experiments on “worldliness” initiated by new waves of science fiction emerging around the world. Based on close reading of Ken Liu's short story “Good Hunting”, this article applies Homi Bhabha's postcolonial theory to the interpretation of the multiple layers of hybridity of the text and reveals the significance of science fiction for transcending Western-centrism and reconstructing the theoretical framework of world literature. It further analyses the tension between literary imagination and theoretical imagination in postmodern and posthuman contexts, emphasizing the irreplaceable role of science fiction as a sentient thought experiment in activating the spirit of utopia. The author therefore calls on Chinese humanists to focus on the history of science fiction and contemporary science fiction studies, and to contribute more theoretical innovations to the creation and criticism of world literature.

Key words: science fiction, world literature, “Good Hunting”, hybridity

摘要： 全球各地不断涌现的科幻新浪潮,正在以其对“世界性”的思想实验改变世界文学的内涵和可能的形态。在细读刘宇昆的短篇小说“狩猎愉快”(Good Hunting)的基础上,本文借鉴霍米·巴巴(Homi Bhabha)的后殖民理论,进一步阐释了这一文本的多重混杂性,揭示了科幻书写对于超越西方中心主义、重构世界文学理论框架的意义。文章剖析了后现代和后人类境况下文学想象与理论想象的张力关系,强调科幻作为有情的思想实验在激活乌托邦精神方面具有不可替代的作用。鉴于此,作者呼吁中国人文学者聚焦科幻文学史与当代科幻研究,为世界文学创作和批评贡献更多富有理论创见的学术成果。

关键词: 科幻, 世界文学, “狩猎愉快”, 混杂性

Wu Weiyi. The Science Fictional Imagination of World Literature: Taking the Hybridity of “Good Hunting” as an Example[J]. Comparative Literature in China, 2023, 0(4): 61-72.

吴维忆. 世界文学的科幻想象:以“狩猎愉快”的混杂性书写为例[J]. 中国比较文学, 2023, 0(4): 61-72.

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