A New Stream of Spiritual Literature: Bei Cun's The Baptizing River
This essay traces the emergence of new categories of "spiritual writing" in Chinese literature, before offering an interpretation of Bei Cun's 1992 novel The Baptizing River (Shixi de he 施洗的河) as an exemplar. Bei Cun's first novel as a "Christian author" attracted much...
| Published in: | Religions |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
MDPI
[2019]
|
| In: |
Religions
|
| Further subjects: | B
Baptism
B Shixi de he B spiritual literature (shenxing xiezuo) B CHINESE Christian literature B Bei Cun B Shi Wei |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This essay traces the emergence of new categories of "spiritual writing" in Chinese literature, before offering an interpretation of Bei Cun's 1992 novel The Baptizing River (Shixi de he 施洗的河) as an exemplar. Bei Cun's first novel as a "Christian author" attracted much critical attention, given the contrast with the author's prior works and its message of spiritual salvation at a time of political change and metaphysical searching. A psychosocial biography of its anti-hero Liu Lang, set in wartime China, the novel charts the protagonist's criminal livelihood, descent into moral depravity, and gradual questioning of life and purpose. This essay foregrounds the structure of the novel and explores how narrative form and theological meaning interact. To do this, it traces the course of the river journeys that mark the different stages of Liu Lang's life and which culminate in his unorthodox baptismal rebirth. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel10070413 |