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Chinese and Western Literary Influence in Liu Cixin’s Three Body Trilogy

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Discusses the recent history of Chinese science fiction and its relationship to global science fiction
  • Examines the literary reception of Liu Cixin’s fiction in English
  • Studies utopian and dystopian themes in Chinese science fiction

Part of the book series: Studies in Global Science Fiction (SGSF)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-v
  2. Cosmic Sociology

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 37-52
  3. Human(ist) Agency

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 53-70
  4. Deictic Realism

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 71-88
  5. Dystopian Relativism

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 89-106
  6. Nostalgic Idealism

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 107-120
  7. The Technologist in the Historical Scheme

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 121-128
  8. The Paradox of Progress

    • Will Peyton
    Pages 129-142
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 143-156

About this book

Chinese and Western Literary Influence in Liu Cixin’s Three Body Trilogy examines Liu Cixin’s acclaimed trilogy, a Chinese science fiction epic whose translation is exceedingly popular in the Western world. Will Peyton argues that the ingenuity of Liu’s writing is found in its conscious engagement with translated Western fiction rather than, as one might expect, in Chinese language science fiction of the past. The book illustrates how contemporary Chinese fiction, since the economic opening of China in the late 1980s, is deeply and complexly influenced by various strains in Western literary and intellectual thought, an area that scholars of Chinese literature have tended to neglect. Providing a lucid and succinct close-reading and textual analysis of Three Body trilogy, the book also makes reference to broader ideas and themes in modern Chinese and Western intellectual history.

Reviews

“This book greatly appeals to readers and scholars of science fiction, Chinese literature, translation studies, global studies, as well as those interested in close readings of Liu Cixin’s seminal trilogy in light of its historical and literary con-text.” (Jerome Winter, SFRA Review, Vol. 53 (3), 2023)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Melbourne, Australia

    Will Peyton

About the author

Will Peyton is an Independent Scholar and completed a PhD in Chinese and Comparative Literature at the Australian National University and was a visiting scholar at the Center for Chinese Studies at the National Central Library in Taiwan. His other work is featured in The International History Review and The Palgrave Handbook of Chinese Language Studies.


Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access