Chinese 503 (OSU)

Liu Heng

-early stories by Liu Heng often dealt with the countryside, as does this, and were also concerned with sexuality and with the conflict between instinctual sexual needs and social regulation and cultural tradition
-some see his early fiction as part of the "Roots" movement in literature, art and film; yet his style is generally less mythic, more realistic, than it is concerned with basic human survival
-also well known for his story "Fuxi, Fuxi" which became the basis for the film Judou
-"Dogshit Food" won the 1985-86 best short story award and was his first story of acclaim
-later turned his attention to urban problems; his novel Black Snow is about the problems faced by a young juvenile delinquent upon his release from prison

Questions for "Dogshit Food" (Gouri de liangshi, 1986)

1. What is the basic plot of this story?

2. How would you characterize the narrative style? How does the narrative tone affect how we "read" and understand what happens in the story?

3. How is the story "realistic"?

4. How are the characters represented in this story? What is the political function of such representations? Is this characterization problematic?

5. What are the political intentions behind the story? What is being attacked?

6. What about the question of gender representation in this story? How are Goiter and Yang Tiankuan portrayed?

7. What might the author be saying ultimately about gender and sexual power relations?