Book Of Evil: Jo Confesso By Jaume Cabré

As a term with a strong presence in theology,ethics and political affairs,evil is both familiar and alien to us in our everyday life.People often use the word not in its actual sense but rather as a label for things that we cannot justify by our own logic or simply do not want to understand.As a result,there’s a vacuum to be filled for the concept of evil,both in a day-to-day sense and intellectually.Among the efforts to fill this void,we have Jo confesso(2011)by Jaume Cabre,a novel that builds a fictional laboratory in which various manifestations of evil are examined from the origin of evil to its evolution and redemption.As the first monograph on this Catalan writer in China,this current dissertation aims to arouse greater interest in contemporary Catalan literature among Chinese readers.The paper leverages theological,philosophical and psychological discourses to examine the concept of evil within the Western intellectual tradition.Building on theories like the radical evil raised by Kant and Arendt’s banality of evil,this paper analyzes different signs of evil that lie in humanity,such as cowardice,envy and greed,in addition to the institutionalized evil,or the dehumanization mechanism under totalitarianism.In certain historical conditions,infected with evil and trapped in moral dilemmas,everyone is both the evildoer and the victim.Besides,the validity of the Augustinian theodicy or the justification of evil as a prelude to a supposed final salvation is questioned,by highlighting the whimsy of destiny.As for the redemption from evil,the novel perseveres in the obligatory fulfillment of one’s own responsibilities,and at the same time,seeks to reinforce interpersonal moral bonds and forge a more positive vision of responsibility with a Utopian touch.The unique structure of the plot achieved by dazzling narrative techniques,such non-linear narration,shifting narrative voices and the use of leitmotiv,contributes to the deepening of the theme.The stories disseminated in different spatial-temporal scenes coincide in the thorny problem of evil,making up a whole that reproduces recurring manifestations of evil throughout human history.On the metafictional level,Jo confesso not only pays homage to the classics,but also explores the therapeutic function of literature in overcoming evil.From the perspective of cultural comparison,the Western reflections on this subject imply a connotation of mystery and a nuance of fatalism,focusing on original sin,instinct,or radical evil.On the other hand,the Confucian ethics,secular in its origin,focuses on the development of good as a force that curbs the propensity for evil.As a result,instead of addressing evil per se,Confucianism puts more emphasis on issues such as education,regulation and moralization.