Lao She And Ivo Andric:An Analogy Study Of Two Literary Canons

This doctoral dissertation represents an attempt to draw an analogy between two internationally recognized writers, namely, Lao She and Ivo Andric, who have not been studied together before, in the light of the theory and methodology of Comparative Literature Studies. Although Chinese and Serbian literatures have not exerted a direct influence on each other, drawing an analogy and comparison between the representative writers belonging to these two great, discrete literary traditions is possible due to the fact that good literature goes beyond national and linguistic boundaries and reaches the universal level. On the other hand, since each national literature and each writer possess their own peculiarities and unique qualities, it is very inspiring to put the two writers, Lao She and Ivo Andric, in a comparative perspective, through which one is able to investigate into the differences and similarities of their works, and assess their respective originality, as well as the literary traditions they belong to.The dissertation starts with a discussion of the problematic of canon and canonicity as its theoretical framework, and then establishes the two writers as canonical ones. It further singles out a number of elements from the authors’lives for parallel studies, and applies the theory and methodology of narratology to their representative works, focusing on such aspects as themes, ideology and style.Sino-Serbian comparative literary research is a new and yet undeveloped field. Therefore, in my opinion, the possibility of giving the slightest contribution to its development has fully justified the work on the doctoral thesis "Lao She and Ivo Andric:An Analogy Study of Two Literary Canons". The superior quality of their works and the unique literary traditions to which the authors belong already provide a fertile soil for Comparative Literature Studies. This dissertation bears full witness to this kind of research, and the author hopes that in the future more endeavors in this direction can be attempted and fulfilled.