Approaching history : the fictional worlds of Ha Jin and Yan Geling

This book starts with the reading of Ha Jin's and Yan Geling's literary works and ends by seeking a sense of history about China and its past. It draws on Aristotle's distinction between poetry and history, arguing that literary texts may represent the gaps left by the master narratives of the real world. The humanism and sympathy towards the dispossessed individuals are also the main concerns of this study of fiction, history and narrative in theory and practice.