Surreal Cultural Practices in Mo Yan’s The Republic of Wine: A Postmodern Critique

Abstract

The paper inspects the depiction of cultural oddities in Mo Yan’s The Republic of Wine (2001), concentrating on how the author employs ‘black humor’ and ‘hallucinatory realism’ to critique strange and grotesque cultural practices in Chinese society. This study explores unsettling traditions, particularly the extreme eating and drinking habits portrayed in the novel, which reflect deeper societal corruption and moral decay. The analysis highlights the struggle of characters like Ding, who attempts to resist these cultural norms but ultimately fails, emphasizing the overpowering influence of systemic traditions, becoming the part of it, that forces individuals into acts of brutality, such as cannibalism. Using a qualitative research approach, this study applies Belsey’s (2014) textual analysis method to interpret the primary text, supplemented by secondary sources from libraries and online databases. The findings reveal that hallucinatory realism and dark humor serve as powerful narrative tools, allowing Mo Yan to expose the absurdities and contradictions within cultural belief systems. The study concludes that blind adherence to cultural traditions, without critical reflection, can lead to grotesque and inhumane practices, underscoring the necessity of questioning and challenging deeply ingrained societal norms.