Technology and Innovation in Yu Wanchun’s (俞萬春, 1793? - 1849) Novel Records of Quelling the Bandits (Dangkou zhi 蕩寇志, 1853)
As the first book-length study devoted exclusively to developments of Chinese science fiction before 1902, Sabine Weber explores the question of how to relate the early literary elements to the later, self-conscious modern forms and unite them in a comprehensive history of Chinese science fiction. By taking Yu Wanchun’s (俞萬春, 1793?–1849) sequel to Jin Shengtan’s (金聖歎, 1608–1661) rendition of ( 水滸傳, 1644) ( 蕩寇志, 1853) as a primary source she also analyzes the specific role of the literary 19th century in the history of the emergence of science fiction in China.
The novel of the Late Qing period (ca. 1793–1896) represents a special case in the historical process, as it developed structural and motif-oriented patterns that brought it close to structurally “modern” science fiction in terms of the epistemological basis of Chinese science and technology history. Written in the style of the classic , but by a militarist thinker from the background of jingshi zhiyong 經世致用 (literally meaning “managing the world by extending practical utility”) in 19th-century Jiangnan, serves as a vivid example of how contemporary Chinese discourses of innovation and practical knowledge were imbedded in established literary frameworks. It was this combination of rationality and pragmatism with classical poetics and literary motifs that pushed images of traditional fiction, hearsay and legend towards speculative technology and theoretical thought experiments, thus providing the basis for the translation-inspired early modern science fiction novel from the end of the century.
China China/Science Fiction Chinese Studies Comparative Studies Cultural History Klassische Science-Fiction-Literatur Kultur- und Medienwissenschaften Literary History Literatur: Geschichte und Kritik Qing Period
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