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Title |
Exploring Clipping Wings: A Chronicle and Revisiting Wang Wen-Hsing's Ultimate Quest within a Vision of "World Literature" |
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Author |
Chang, Sung-sheng Yvonne |
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Professor, Department of Asian Studies; Program in Comparative Literature, The University of Texas at Austin |
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Abstract |
Clipping Wings: A Chronicle (2016) marks a significant milestone in Taiwanese modernist fiction. This novel delves deeply into issues of life, ethics, and faith, elevating Wang Wen-Hsing's (1939-2023) lifelong pursuit of linguistic experimentation to new heights. The works skillfully employs highly sophisticated writing techniques from the Western modernist literary tradition, such as "parodic mimicry," for moral subversion and highlighting fundamental "epistemic incertitude" through shifting perspectives involving an idiosyncratically conceived "implied author." Although it did not gain widespread appreciation from readers in the short term, for some, it offers a profoundly gratifying aesthetic experience. The author himself states that he is committed to pursuing a "colorless and scentless" style, an innovative realm in "world literature" that few can master or appreciate. To understand the significance of this pursuit, one must first grasp Wang Wen-Hsing's foundational assumptions and values regarding "world literature." Ultimately, it is this unwavering belief that propels him to accept potential challenges, including indifference from readers. Therefore, this paper focuses on the inspiration Wang received from the Flaubertian realist tradition during his time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the unique narrative strategies he designed to achieve––or even surpass––this tradition. Beyond its religious dimension, Wang Wen-Hsing's relentless pursuit of the artistic effect of "innovative language" can be interpreted as a substitute for or counterpart to "religious belief." This approach aligns with the realist novel tradition initiated by Flaubert and represents a significant "ultimate pursuit" in Wang's creative career. Through Erich Auerbach's analysis of Flaubert's realistic ideals in Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, this paper aims to further elucidate the "purist" form of fiction writing in Clipping Wings—described by Wang as "pristine water, with no scent"—and its connection to religious sentiment. In particular, it explores the profound interaction between this writing style and the "body," encompassing both the individual (the physiological dimensions of literary creation and appreciation) and the collective (the codified system of symbolic order and social language). The emergence of "affect theory" in the mid-1990s offers a new interpretive lens for understanding this complex relationship. Thus, this paper incorporates affect theory into the discussion to complement existing research. |
