Borges and contemporary Chinese avant-garde writings

Abstract

This paper intends to explore the influences of Borges on contemporary Chinese avant-garde writing in three aspects, namely, the recurrence and cyclical nature of time, the narrative labyrinth, and metafiction. The recurrence and cyclical nature of time avant-garde writers emphasize on constituting a self-contained circular structure, while the design of a labyrinth unfolds the chaos, obscurity, and indeterminacy of the world. Metafiction undermines the authenticity of traditional novels by exposing the fictitious nature of fictions.

Keywords

literature, Borges, avant-garde writings, cycle of time, labyrinth, metafiction