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On the Memory Writing and Cultural Identity in Li Zishu’s The Age of Goodbyes

Author(s)

Wenjing Huang

Affiliation(s)

School of Literature and Journalism, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China

Abstract

As the debut novel of Li Zishu, The Age of Goodbyes vividly portrays the ethnic experiences of the Malaysian Chinese within the historical context of the May 13th incident, earning widespread praise for its intricate depiction of everyday life. The novel employs a multi-layered construction of memory to explore personal experiences, the historical atmosphere of Malaysia, and cultural spaces, while engaging with broader themes such as personal growth, identity formation, and cultural construction. This paper seeks to analyze The Age of Goodbyes through the lens of memory theory, focusing on the traces of individual, social, and cultural memories within the text. In doing so, it aims to reveal the profound historical and cultural implications embedded in the narrative, as well as to reflect on the memory construction of the Malaysian ethnic community and their marginalized identity.

Keywords

Li Zishu; The Age of Goodbyes; Memory Writing; Cultural Identity

References

[1] Shao Peng: A Study of Media as Human Memory Zhejiang University, 2014 p28 [2] Li Zishu: The Era of Farewell Xinxing Publishing House, 2012 [3] Jiang Chenghao: Love and Death in Nanyang: Local Experience and Landscape Writing in the Fiction of Lim Pow Leng Overseas Chinese Literature, 2022 [4] Jin Shoufu: On Jan Assmann's Theory of Cultural Memory Journal of Sichuan International Studies University, 2017 [5] Wang Sifu: Metaphors of the Empire Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2012 p196 [6] Victor Turner: The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure Renmin University Press, 2006 [7] Aleida Assmann: Erinnerungsräume: Formen und Wandlungen des kulturellen Gedächtnisses Translated by Pan Lu, Peking University Press, 2016 p220 [8] Wang Xiaobin: Writing, Ritual, and Cultural Memory Jiangxi Social Sciences, 2007 [9] Chen Zujun & Jiang Chenghao: The Local Experience and Spatial Representation in Malaysian Chinese Literature: A Case Study of Li Zishu's Novels Guangxi Social Sciences, 2020