Reading: Issue 2

Author: Zhu Yong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Time never listens to anyone, and through intervening in reading, it ultimately intervenes in the work—subverting its significance. An artwork that believes itself immortal may be utterly transformed by time and eventually become a cautionary example. To monopolize time can be considered the greatest hegemony, but it cannot succeed in isolation; only through its own failure can it prove the absolute authority of time. Time is not material; it possesses fluidity and unpredictability. An emperor not only seeks to control vast spaces but also aims to control boundless time. They strive to achieve the dream of eternity by occupying space. This dream may exist within every individual—for instance, a writer may have an insatiable desire for time, though their means of acquiring it is not through grand enterprises or immense wealth, but through writing. A work with significant impact allows them to gain both space and time. However, this is a delusion for some writers and an aspiration for others. Even the greatest writers cannot command time; it never bends to anyone’s will, and through intervening in reading, it ultimately alters the work’s significance—subverting its meaning. An artwork that believes itself immortal may be utterly transformed by time and eventually become a cautionary example. To monopolize time can be considered the greatest hegemony, but it cannot succeed in isolation; only through its own failure can it prove the absolute authority of time.
This issue continues the theme of "rich in personality" with articles that prioritize perspective over subject matter. The selected works often extend and "reverse-read" existing works. Whether it’s the familiar "rooster crowing at midnight," the commonplace Zhou Zuoren and Lu Xun, or Benjamin, Pan Jinlian, and the "imperial unconscious" from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings, these examples illustrate the evolution of readers and the immense elasticity of a work’s value space. This collection is a compilation of social science book reviews, featuring articles such as The Rooster That Crows at Midnight, Lu Xun’s Purchase of Zhou Zuoren’s Works, The Essence of Desire, and Memory and Imagination.