About Us

張愛玲研究新方向講座系列 New Directions in Eileen Chang Studies Lecture Series
Co-hosted by School of Chinese and Department of Comparative Literature, HKU
Co-sponsored by Louis Cha Fund for Chinese studies & East/West studies in the Faculty
& Center for the Study of Globalization and Culture (CSGC) 

“輕微的騷動”: 張愛玲小說裡的細節與女性

“Subtle Stirrings”: Xijie and Women in Eileen Chang’s Fiction

分享嘉賓 Speaker: Prof. Jiwei XIAO (Fairfield University) 

主持人 Moderator: Prof. LIN Pei-yin (HKU) 

日期時間 Date & Time: April 18, 2024 (Thu) 16:30-18:00pm

語言 Language: English

地點 Venue: CPD-7.30, 7/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

https://hku.zoom.us/j/93981002961?pwd=OEZNOUo5WHRQRndYN2tiK3B4Q2ZlUT09

Meeting ID: 939 8100 2961

Password: 618578

摘要 Abstract:

In xijie xiaoshuo 細節小說, or the fiction of details, a telling detail does not “exist” as a static object but tends to “emerge” dynamically as a perception, a recognition, or a recollection. Eileen Chang’s innovative use of such details, combined with her heightened awareness of the female perspective, allows her to transform the ancient xijie xiaoshuo into a distinctive modern fictional form. The concepts of xijie and xiwei 細微take on new significance as Chang employs details to evoke subtle but stirring moments of psychological-ethical crisis that her female characters must grapple with. Drawing on my Telling Details: Chinese Fiction, World Literature (2022), this presentation examines the multi-faceted meanings of the detail as the miniscule, the subtle, and the humble, exploring the intertwined ethical-aesthetic implications of deploying such details. Chang’s complex depiction of women as xiwei can be seen in both her reinterpretation of female characters in traditional xijie xiaoshuo and her engagement with new female experience and consciousness in modern times. 

講者簡介 About the Speaker:

Jiewei XIAO is Professor of Chinese and Cinema Studies at Fairfield University. She is the author of Telling Details: Chinese Fiction, World Literature (Routledge, 2022). Her work has appeared in academic journals and intellectual magazines including New Left Review, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, Cineaste, and Film Quarterly. She has also written for the New York Review of Books and The Atlantic as a freelance contributor.

Notice:

1) The seminar will be conducted primarily in a face-to-face mode; Those who cannot attend the seminar in-person could apply for online participation (via Zoom) with justifications;

2) All those who would like to attend the seminar are required to register online (Click HERE) on a first-come, first-served basis;

3) Email of confirmation will be sent to the registered email addresses and participants have to show the screenshot or print-out version of the email for entry of the seminar venue;

4) Walk-in or late-comers will not be allowed for entry of the seminar venue unless situation allows.

ALL are welcome*

*Pre-registration (Click HERE) is requested.