INSTITUTIONAL EVIL IN YAN LIANKE’S FICTION: THE FOUR BOOKS AND DREAM OF DING VILLAGE
Main Article Content
Abstract
The article approaches evil in Yan Lianke’s novels from the perspective of structure and mechanisms of operation, rather than treating it as a moral category tied to individual behavior. Through an analysis of two representative works, The Four Books and Dream of Ding Village, the study demonstrates that evil is first constructed as an institutional phenomenon, existing in the form of anonymous systems of rules, plans, and discourses capable of legitimizing violence and dehumanizing individuals in everyday life. At the same time, the research clarifies the role of the crowd in actualizing and reinforcing evil, as individuals gradually internalize the logic of power, engage in self‑surveillance, denounce one another, and actively participate in the reproduction of oppression. In doing so, the article shows how Yan Lianke places human beings in situations where the boundary between victim and perpetrator becomes blurred, compelling readers to confront fundamental questions about moral responsibility in modern collective life.
Keywords
Yan Lianke, The Four Books, Dream of Ding Village, contemporary Chinese Literature, institutional evil
Article Details
References
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TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO
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