ORIENTALISM AND POSTCOLONIAL CRITICISMIN IN MO YAN’S FICTION

This article applies the postcolonial criticism frameworks of Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak to examine five representative novels by Mo Yan: The Herbivorous Family, Red Sorghum Clan, Sandalwood Death, Big Breasts and Wide Hips, and Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out. The analysis focuses on how Mo Yan’s narratives construct Eastern images, grotesque aesthetics, and female images under the influence of postcolonial discourse. The findings reveal that his depictions of violence, the human body, and patriarchal oppression simultaneously reflect a complex negotiation with Western cultural hegemony and an inheritance of traditional Chinese narrative paradigms. By situating Mo Yan’s literary strategies within broader postcolonial debates, this study demonstrates the multidimensional nature of postcolonial discourse in contemporary Chinese literature. Moreover, it highlights how these works may inform comparative approaches to Vietnamese literature particularly regarding issues of national identity, gender, and the reception of global literary discourses.