Reflections of Critical Forum on Chinese Internet Literature presented by Prof Michel Hockx

Topic: Internet Literature in China

Presenter: Professor Michel Hockx

Date: 10 Feb 2010

Time: 1-3 pm

Venue: SOAS Room 4418

Prof Hockx presented an overview of the production of internet literature in China. He defines "internet literature" as literature that is published on the internet by authors whom do not have access to publishers and literature that cannot be published (i.e. censored by the government). Showing us some sample poetry websites, he illustrated how the nature of literature has become highly interactive and reproduced as online games. For example, there is an English poetry fun website "Enigma n" designed by Jim Andrews. It aims to mystify poetry by prompting the surfer to interrupt the rearrangement of the word "meaning" such that it will end up as "engima" (refer to url: http://www.vispo.com/animisms/enigman/enigman.htm). Another is "Arteroids", a shooting game that allows the surfer to assume avatars in different words, such as "poetry" (url: http://www.vispo.com/arteroids/arteroids.htm). The player will then endeavour to shoot down the enemy, which is also represented in the forms of word. The author invites the surfer (reader) to "throw away [our] preconceptions about poetry", i.e. poetry should be demystified and no longer be perceived as sublime and authoritative.

On the same note, when Prof Hockx opens up the page source of one of these websites, we find written sentences which prompt the reader to forget about trying to figure out how the programming works because "anyone can do it with the help of a software such as adobe flash or shockwave". This alludes to the postmodern condition--readers dealing with the interpretation of texts should not dwell too deeply and attempt to accord too much credit or meaning to the texts. Everything should be taken at the superficial level.

We were also shown literature websites of China which shares similar characteristics with English poetry websites,suggesting that globalisation and information technology has led to the exchange and flow of technical expertise in setting up these sites. Most of them have forums that allow any surfer to post their comments or works easily. Focusing on the writer Chen Cun (陈村）, Prof Hockx also explains how the highly interactive nature of the internet have changed the production conditions of literature. Chen Cun had initially wanted to end his series of prose called "性笔记“ but resumed it after readers posted words of plea and encouragement. Chen also had to accede to readers' requests of watering down the sexual content of his writing as some readers suggested that "some underaged surfers might be reading".

The field of internet literature is growing at a rapid pace, as evinced by the allocation of shelves dedicated to this area in many bookstores in China. Interestingly, some publishers do surf the websites and will select what they deem as publishable for a book. But the finished product will exist as a "clean text", omitting reader comments and links posted on the original website.

Prof Hockx shared his reflections of the nature of his research topic with us. He pointed out the highly transient nature of the Internet--some websites which he researched are now defunct. He asked if there are any possible approaches to the topic so that academic institutions may take the research more seriously.

Here are some of my personal reflections:

1. Internet literature is an interesting phenomenon, because it not only expands the concept of "literature", it also challenges preconceived notions of the profession and identity of the author. The author, in the literal sense of the word, used to be the authoritative figure in the writing process. The meaning of "author" has also expanded to include the website designer /programmer, the reader, the critique, all of whom can participate in literary production by posting their works on the website. This means that the relationships between the reader and author has changed dramatically. In Chen's case, readers now even assume the roles of the censor and moral guardian. This shows that online subjectivities have now become more multifacted and fluid, resisting simple classification or definition.

2. The relationship between publishers and writers have also changed---writers are not renumerated through the sales of books, but by the number of "hits" and subscribers to the website. Royalty is now also paid in the form of advertising revenue by commercial sponsors for the websites. It would then be interesting to look at the intertextuality created between the advertisements (images, slogans, etc) and literary texts on these websites.

3. What is the criteria for internet literature's cooption into the publishing industry? How does the editor/publisher select and omit? What do these selections or omissions tell us about the publishing industry and book market, or even academic field?

4. Prof Hockx's presentation also reminded me of the film, "Chicken poets" by Meng Jinghui. The protagonist, a failing poet, buys a pirated copy of a software that allows him to compose poetry with the help of the computer and he instantly becomes famous overnight.

5. Prof Hockx presented a paper on Chen Cun at one conference a few years ago. Some Chen's supporters immediately posted pictures of Prof Hockx at the conference on the same website which published Chen's 性笔记。 The Western academic is now involved in the literary production field on a different level. (that is if we consider all comments, pictures, links to be a indispensable part of internet literature). Interestingly, the writeup on this conference was placed under the heading of "热烈祝贺村长率领俺们贫下菜农冲出菜园走向世界”。It seems that the readers of Chen's work have created a virtual community by aligning their identities with the lower-class peasants against the commercial (bourgeios?) websites which Chen is consciously avoiding. In the context of an international conference, Prof Hockx is seen to have spoken on behalf of China (represented in the form of a virtual vegetable farm) and legitimised its "entry" into the world (which of course refers to the Western world of developed countries). This heading not only shows the playful appropration of communistspeak, but also the imagined binary relationship between China and the world (Western world), and how some surfers imagine or construct China to be largely rural and economically backward (in their use of vegetable farm), waiting to ascend to the ranks of first-world countries.