Volume 7, No. 1

Stupeur et tremblements is one of the most important novels of the Belgian female writer Amélie Nothomb. The work centers on the cultural conflict between the Belgiqn girl Amélie and her Japanese colleagues, and tells the story of Amélie’s setbacks while working in Japan. Amélie, a Belgian girl, has been influenced by Japanese culture since she was a child, so she yearns for a Japanese identity. She chooses to return to Japan at adult age. However, some of the Japanese colleagues she met were indifferent and hypocritical, the rejection of Amélie shows that they do not recognize Amélie’s Japanese identity. As a result, Amélie fell into an ethical predicament and had to flee Japan and return to Belgium, re-examining her Belgian identity. Amélie Nothomb emphasized the importance of ethics in the process of value reconstruction in Stupeur et tremblements expressing her own and Amélie’s negative attitude towards ethnocentralism.

A large area of the neural system will be activated by the information of something new, but it will be greatly lessened in the process of habituation, leaving the task to a small number of specific neurals, which can even function automatically, without much consciousness and effort. Habituation is the one of the preconditions of the dynamic core hypothesis, which supposes that only one power-consuming self-conscious mental activity, however it changes, is allowed for one moment, with a lot of automatic unconsciousness. Habituation can help to save mental power, but it can also make the neural system senseless to the objects, therefore estrangement theory is raised to renew the experience of feeling. Estrangement can be neurally explained by dynamic core hypothesis. In literary works, some important unconsciousness is often raised to the level of consciousness, and the dynamic core is changed, in order to produce the effect of estrangement. This effect can also be acquired by the contrast achieved by swiftly changing the dynamic core of one character or by putting together the dynamic cores of different characters. The estrangement effect can also be discussed from the perspective of heterosynaptic facilitation. Sensitization is the first form, which supposes that strong stimulus in one neural circuit can lead to the strengthening of the stimulus in other circuits. The shocking stimulus, esp. suspension, is often used by writers, to make readers sensitive to every detail to get the estrangement effect. Conditional function, which assumes that the strong stimulus in one neural circuit can strengthen the stimulus in another by repeating successively, is the second form of heterosynaptic facilitation. Metaphor, personification, symbolization, contrast etc. are all based upon conditional function, and scientific fantasy, utopian, fable etc. are based upon extended conditional function, which are both the results of heterosynaptic facilitation. Estrangement is often regarded as the formal art, and yet, the change of form can also lead to the differences of content observed. Even without the change of form, the new content can also produce the impression of estrangement, although the room for this kind of strangeness is limited.

Ethical Literary Criticism of English Literature uses the theory of ethical literary criticism and the new theory of ethical literary criticism after coupling with various other theories to carry out the criticism practice of English literary texts from the 16th century to the 20th century through solid close reading. It excavates the evolution of British ethical thought and plays a role in moral teaching, which have made original contributions to the blooming of English literature and literary theories’ teaching and research. It has important academic value and practical significance.

William Baker’s Pinter’s World: Relationships, Obsessions, and Artistic Endeavors published in 2018 is the latest research on Harold Pinter. By exploring rare and primary sources,including diaries, letters, memoirs, interviews, etc., Professor Baker innovatively expounds the creative experiences, sources, criticism and influences of Pinter’s poetry, dramas, screen scripts, public lectures, which forms new paradigm of overall research and new methodology of inter-textual study on Pinter’s writings. Baker’s Pinter’s World and his other four works manifest a unique way of criticism on Pinter. Accordingly, it is vital for Pinter enthusiasts and professional scholars as an invaluable reference.

The Realism movement of 19th century Western literature is a significant literary phenomenon with far-reaching influence on global literary history. In the context of Chinese literature and culture, it holds a preeminent position due to its depth and extent. Nevertheless, the meaning and reception of Realism has been a subject of considerable controversy, complexity, and variation. Professor Jiang Chengyong’s latest publication, Research on Western Literary Trends in the 19th Century Vol.2: Realism, adopts an innovative academic perspective and employs cutting-edge ideas and methods to undertake a thorough examination and interpretation of this literary trend. The book aims to uncover the original features of Realism and put forward a set of innovative perspectives that substantially enrich and expand the existing body of research in this field in China.