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postgraduate thesis: Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (雙城辭典) and the fantasy in Hong Kong
Title | Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (雙城辭典) and the fantasy in Hong Kong Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (Shuang cheng ci dian) and the fantasy in Hong Kong |
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Authors | |
Issue Date | 2020 |
Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
Citation | Wan, S. Y. [雲舜榆]. (2020). Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (雙城辭典) and the fantasy in Hong Kong. (Thesis). University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR. |
Abstract | A return to fantastic writing as an expressive mode in Hong Kong literature of the
2000s provides an invaluable access to the realities which have continued to shape the
unique city of Hong Kong, be they political or social. This dissertation is an invitation
to the examination of a series of theoretical discussions on fantasy in order to shed light
on the historical and cultural specificities of fantasy within the Hong Kong
context. This thesis hence examines the use of fantasy in A Dictionary of Two Cities
(雙城辭典) published in 2012 and co-written by Tse Hiu-Hung (謝曉虹) and Hon Lai-
Chu (韓麗珠), through the theoretical lens of two Western theorists Rosemary Jackson
and Andre Breton in regard to three premises: 1) Fantasy traces the absence within the
dominant cultural order; 2) it does not only escape reality, but also re-combines or
inverts it and 3) it offers a fragmented and ambivalent vision for the establishment of
the truth.
The two young cohort local writers, Tse and Hon, dubbed the most influential surrealist
writers of Hong Kong in the 2000s, self-invent and reiterate a form of dictionary to tell
their stories by experimenting with language and confounding the logical expectations to produce a more deeply nuanced image and compellingly challenge a stereotypical
image of the city.
Through a critical reading of some chosen texts from this fiction, this dissertation aims
to provide important insights into how these stories reimagine dystopian versions of
Hong Kong and the life of its inhabitants to stand as a guide book for survival through
the present tumult of fragmentation and the countdown to an unsettling, unknown,
precarious future of Hong Kong.
The dissertation has been divided into four sections: the first introduces the
relationship between the history of Hong Kong and Hong Kong literature and the
implication of the form of “Dictionary” as suggested in the title; the second compares
the different notions of literary fantasy and explores how Hon and Tse use literary
fantasy, mainly with the endorsement of Rosemary Jackson’s theories in A Dictionary
of Two Cities, particularly in terms of the subversive function of revealing the unseen
culture which has been suppressed by the dominant power and exploring the frustrated
wishes; the third deals with the deconstructive nature of truth in the world of fantasy
from both postmodern and surreal perspectives; and the fourth examines the use and
features of narratives in fantasy writing, focusing on its instability and slippage that
may articulate some possible effects on readers.
|
Degree | Master of Arts |
Subject | Fantasy in literature |
Dept/Program | Literary and Cultural Studies |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/291145 |
DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Wan, Shun Yu | - |
dc.contributor.author | 雲舜榆 | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-11-04T13:09:18Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2020-11-04T13:09:18Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2020 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | Wan, S. Y. [雲舜榆]. (2020). Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (雙城辭典) and the fantasy in Hong Kong. (Thesis). University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR. | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/291145 | - |
dc.description.abstract | A return to fantastic writing as an expressive mode in Hong Kong literature of the 2000s provides an invaluable access to the realities which have continued to shape the unique city of Hong Kong, be they political or social. This dissertation is an invitation to the examination of a series of theoretical discussions on fantasy in order to shed light on the historical and cultural specificities of fantasy within the Hong Kong context. This thesis hence examines the use of fantasy in A Dictionary of Two Cities (雙城辭典) published in 2012 and co-written by Tse Hiu-Hung (謝曉虹) and Hon Lai- Chu (韓麗珠), through the theoretical lens of two Western theorists Rosemary Jackson and Andre Breton in regard to three premises: 1) Fantasy traces the absence within the dominant cultural order; 2) it does not only escape reality, but also re-combines or inverts it and 3) it offers a fragmented and ambivalent vision for the establishment of the truth. The two young cohort local writers, Tse and Hon, dubbed the most influential surrealist writers of Hong Kong in the 2000s, self-invent and reiterate a form of dictionary to tell their stories by experimenting with language and confounding the logical expectations to produce a more deeply nuanced image and compellingly challenge a stereotypical image of the city. Through a critical reading of some chosen texts from this fiction, this dissertation aims to provide important insights into how these stories reimagine dystopian versions of Hong Kong and the life of its inhabitants to stand as a guide book for survival through the present tumult of fragmentation and the countdown to an unsettling, unknown, precarious future of Hong Kong. The dissertation has been divided into four sections: the first introduces the relationship between the history of Hong Kong and Hong Kong literature and the implication of the form of “Dictionary” as suggested in the title; the second compares the different notions of literary fantasy and explores how Hon and Tse use literary fantasy, mainly with the endorsement of Rosemary Jackson’s theories in A Dictionary of Two Cities, particularly in terms of the subversive function of revealing the unseen culture which has been suppressed by the dominant power and exploring the frustrated wishes; the third deals with the deconstructive nature of truth in the world of fantasy from both postmodern and surreal perspectives; and the fourth examines the use and features of narratives in fantasy writing, focusing on its instability and slippage that may articulate some possible effects on readers. | - |
dc.language | eng | - |
dc.publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) | - |
dc.relation.ispartof | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) | - |
dc.rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works. | - |
dc.rights | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. | - |
dc.subject.lcsh | Fantasy in literature | - |
dc.title | Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (雙城辭典) and the fantasy in Hong Kong | - |
dc.title | Writing on the fringes of map and mind : A Dictionary of two cities (Shuang cheng ci dian) and the fantasy in Hong Kong | - |
dc.type | PG_Thesis | - |
dc.description.thesisname | Master of Arts | - |
dc.description.thesislevel | Master | - |
dc.description.thesisdiscipline | Literary and Cultural Studies | - |
dc.description.nature | published_or_final_version | - |
dc.date.hkucongregation | 2020 | - |
dc.identifier.mmsid | 991044288245803414 | - |