Department of British and American Studies at the - Univerzita ...
Department of British and American Studies at the - Univerzita ...
Department of British and American Studies at the - Univerzita ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Chinese Prayers <strong>and</strong> <strong>American</strong> Heaven – Cultural Struggles in<br />
Yiyun Li’s A Thous<strong>and</strong> Years <strong>of</strong> Good Prayers<br />
1. Introduction<br />
Mária Kiššová<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Constantine <strong>the</strong> Philosopher, Nitra<br />
Culture <strong>and</strong> identity likely belong among <strong>the</strong> most discussed concepts nowadays in <strong>the</strong><br />
humanities. Even a brief look <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> titles <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> scholarly papers presented <strong>at</strong> various<br />
colloquia <strong>and</strong> conferences in recent years supports <strong>the</strong> trend. In literary studies <strong>the</strong> terms are<br />
mainly applied in two ways. First, <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>the</strong> key terms in <strong>the</strong> framework <strong>of</strong> a <strong>the</strong>oretical<br />
approach towards texts, i.e. <strong>the</strong>y are used within literary <strong>the</strong>ory which may scrutinize ei<strong>the</strong>r<br />
any literary text, including texts with subtle cultural references. Secondly, <strong>the</strong> words ‗culture‘<br />
<strong>and</strong> ‗identity‘ are used in <strong>the</strong> discourse about <strong>the</strong> content <strong>of</strong> a literary work per se as modern<br />
liter<strong>at</strong>ure in English portrays various forms <strong>of</strong> cultural encounters <strong>and</strong> clashes resulting from<br />
globaliz<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>and</strong> migr<strong>at</strong>ion, <strong>and</strong> reflects on <strong>the</strong> cultural changes happening worldwide. We<br />
are convinced th<strong>at</strong> it is impossible for a literary scholar to discuss 21 st century liter<strong>at</strong>ure (not<br />
only in English) <strong>and</strong> ignore <strong>the</strong> terms ‗culture‘ <strong>and</strong>/or ‗identity‘.<br />
Slovak <strong>Studies</strong> in English, Vol. 3, 2011 – Identity in Intercultural Communic<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
LITERATURE<br />
Our time is characterised by a deep interest in o<strong>the</strong>r cultures, a fact fuelled by <strong>the</strong><br />
possibilities <strong>of</strong> travel <strong>and</strong> media, such as magazines, newspapers, TV <strong>and</strong> especially Internet<br />
communic<strong>at</strong>ion. As a result <strong>of</strong> this, two distinct st<strong>and</strong>points might be observed <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten reflected in literary works. Besides <strong>the</strong> <strong>at</strong>tempts to streng<strong>the</strong>n cultural tolerance <strong>and</strong><br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing – cultural difference viewed as a positive fe<strong>at</strong>ure bringing enrichment, it may<br />
also be perceived neg<strong>at</strong>ively, as a thre<strong>at</strong> <strong>and</strong> danger. Having said th<strong>at</strong>, it is liter<strong>at</strong>ure th<strong>at</strong><br />
―depicts‖ wh<strong>at</strong> is going on, though admittedly, it may become very political, sometimes even<br />
propag<strong>and</strong>istic when portraying different cultures which <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> same time represent two<br />
different political systems. However, we do not suggest approaching liter<strong>at</strong>ure just as an<br />
account <strong>of</strong> social changes, although th<strong>at</strong> perspective may also be interesting. Our aim is to<br />
show how literary qualities <strong>and</strong> literariness <strong>of</strong> a specific text cre<strong>at</strong>e <strong>and</strong> form wh<strong>at</strong> we<br />
underst<strong>and</strong> as culture, identity <strong>and</strong> cultural identity. The following study discusses <strong>the</strong><br />
collection A Thous<strong>and</strong> Years <strong>of</strong> Good Prayers (2006) by <strong>the</strong> Chinese <strong>American</strong> Yiyun Li, an<br />
author praised for her short stories which were published in <strong>the</strong> US, but which reflect <strong>and</strong><br />
depict <strong>the</strong> radical changes within modern Chinese society. We approach <strong>the</strong> collection<br />
163