A Comparative Study of Literary Narratives from a Cross-Cultural Perspective: Taking the Temptation of the Gangdise Mountains and Dad Dad Dad as Examples

Abstract

Based on the interactive tension between narrative structure, cultural stance, and literary trends, this paper conducts a comparative narrative analysis of Ma Yuan’s The Temptation of the Gangdise Mountains and Han Shaogong’s Dad Dad Dad within the context of China’s New Era literature in the 1980s. It aims to demonstrate that the former, through formal experimentation and fragmented narration, employs an "othering" perspective to deconstruct the fixed attributes of Tibetan culture, focusing on a detached pursuit of literary innovation that implicitly reflects the metaphorical crisis of postcolonial writing. In contrast, the latter, via allegorical storytelling and linear narration within a confined space, dismantles the inherent flaws and continuity of Chu-shamanic culture, presenting a critical yet compassionate stance that explores the possibility of reconstructing national cultural identity. The narrative tension between these two works mutually illuminates the complexity and anxiety of cultural identity construction within a globalized literary and cultural landscape. This study transcends the singular narrative framework of individual texts, examining and revealing the interactive dynamics between narrative form and cultural positioning. It holds methodological significance for expanding research on New Era literature and cross-referential studies, marking another academic debate on trans-ethnic, trans-regional, and cross-cultural dimensions in New Era literature.