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David Sweeney - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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ladies and gentlemen the nine inch nails twin peaks the return as Fictional World and alternative earth
2019Co-Authors: David SweeneyAbstract:The title of this paper comes from the introduction given by the MC at the Roadhouse to the band which plays there in Twin Peaks: The Return episode 8. The band are also referred to as 'The' Nine Inch Nails in the episode's closing credits. In the real World a band exists called Nine Inch Nails, no definite article required. Addressing them with the definite article may simply be a joke at the folksy MC's expense but it can also be understood as an indication that the series takes place in a World similar to but significantly different from our own: an alternative earth where the group really is called The – or 'The' - Nine Inch Nails. In one sense, all Fictional Worlds, no matter how 'realistic', are alternative earths, populated as they are with characters who either do not exist in the real World or are invented versions of people who do or have, as in the case of historical fiction. However, realist and historical fiction depend upon a fidelity to actual events for their efficacy. To an extent this is also true of alternative history fiction – which creates alternative earths – but this sub-genre also requires a point of divergence in order to ask 'what if?' questions, such as Steven Barnes's imagined consequences of Islamic African nations destroying the Roman Empire and subsequently colonising Europe and the Americas in his novel Lion’s Blood (2002) . Twin Peaks has not, at the time of writing, explicitly addressed a point of divergence; however, the scenes set in 1945 and 1956, also in episode 8, provide a historical context previously absent from the series. The nuclear bomb test at the Trinity Site, New Mexico in 1945 is clearly of fundamental importance to the narrative as it results in the 'birth' of both BOB and Laura Palmer and their entrance to the earthly plane through a kind of dimensional 'tear' created by the blast. The 1956 scene, also set in New Mexico, shows other supernatural entities at work, implicitly as a result of the Trinity test. Fifties music, style and argot are prominent throughout Twin Peaks, persisting for much longer than has been the case in the real World. In this paper I will argue that the alternative earth in which Twin Peaks is set diverged from our own with the supernatural incursion created by the Trinity explosion. As in our World, the test resulted in not only the allied victory in World War II but subsequently the rise of '50s American consumerist-driven popular culture, which came to dominate first the West, then the globe. In actual history, fifties styles went out of fashion, which seems to be less so the case in the series. Which is not to say that a fifties aesthetic is dominant: the song by 'The' Nine Inch Nails draws from the 'industrial' music of the 1980s and '90s and other musical acts featured also have an eighties influence; some however do provide fifties pastiche. Such 'retromania' – music critic Simon Reynolds' term for current pop culture's fascination with its past – of course exists in the real World today (and is perhaps more prevalent now than in the 1990s when Twin Peaks was originally broadcast) but in the World of the series retro elements seem less exercises in nostalgia than signifiers of the milieu of an alternative earth, one which is similar to yet different enough from our own to, as I will show, make us consider the history of the real World anew.
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"Ladies and gentlemen ... The Nine Inch Nails": Twin Peaks: The Return as Fictional World and Alternative Earth
2019Co-Authors: David SweeneyAbstract:The title of this paper comes from the introduction given by the MC at the Roadhouse to the band which plays there in Twin Peaks: The Return episode 8. The band are also referred to as 'The' Nine Inch Nails in the episode's closing credits. In the real World a band exists called Nine Inch Nails, no definite article required. Addressing them with the definite article may simply be a joke at the folksy MC's expense but it can also be understood as an indication that the series takes place in a World similar to but significantly different from our own: an alternative earth where the group really is called The – or 'The' - Nine Inch Nails. In one sense, all Fictional Worlds, no matter how 'realistic', are alternative earths, populated as they are with characters who either do not exist in the real World or are invented versions of people who do or have, as in the case of historical fiction. However, realist and historical fiction depend upon a fidelity to actual events for their efficacy. To an extent this is also true of alternative history fiction – which creates alternative earths – but this sub-genre also requires a point of divergence in order to ask 'what if?' questions, such as Steven Barnes's imagined consequences of Islamic African nations destroying the Roman Empire and subsequently colonising Europe and the Americas in his novel Lion’s Blood (2002) . Twin Peaks has not, at the time of writing, explicitly addressed a point of divergence; however, the scenes set in 1945 and 1956, also in episode 8, provide a historical context previously absent from the series. The nuclear bomb test at the Trinity Site, New Mexico in 1945 is clearly of fundamental importance to the narrative as it results in the 'birth' of both BOB and Laura Palmer and their entrance to the earthly plane through a kind of dimensional 'tear' created by the blast. The 1956 scene, also set in New Mexico, shows other supernatural entities at work, implicitly as a result of the Trinity test. Fifties music, style and argot are prominent throughout Twin Peaks, persisting for much longer than has been the case in the real World. In this paper I will argue that the alternative earth in which Twin Peaks is set diverged from our own with the supernatural incursion created by the Trinity explosion. As in our World, the test resulted in not only the allied victory in World War II but subsequently the rise of '50s American consumerist-driven popular culture, which came to dominate first the West, then the globe. In actual history, fifties styles went out of fashion, which seems to be less so the case in the series. Which is not to say that a fifties aesthetic is dominant: the song by 'The' Nine Inch Nails draws from the 'industrial' music of the 1980s and '90s and other musical acts featured also have an eighties influence; some however do provide fifties pastiche. Such 'retromania' – music critic Simon Reynolds' term for current pop culture's fascination with its past – of course exists in the real World today (and is perhaps more prevalent now than in the 1990s when Twin Peaks was originally broadcast) but in the World of the series retro elements seem less exercises in nostalgia than signifiers of the milieu of an alternative earth, one which is similar to yet different enough from our own to, as I will show, make us consider the history of the real World anew.
Alison Gopnik - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds - eScholarship
2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Children’s Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds Caren M. Walker 1 , Patricia A. Ganea 2 , & Alison Gopnik 1 (caren.walker@berkeley.edu, patricia.ganea@utoronto.ca, gopnik@berkeley.edu) Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 Human Development & Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, 56 Spadina Rd., Toronto, Canada M5R 2TI Abstract this perceived similarity by presenting information in a Fictional World that seamlessly interweaves fantasy and reality (Woolley & Cox, 2007). Even in explicitly pedagogical scenarios, teachers often embed their intended curriculum within a fantasy context. This decision is based on the assumption that Fictional Worlds are more engaging to the young child, and may therefore encourage increased sustained attention and learning of novel material (Harris, 2000; Renninger & Wozniak, 1985). Previous research supports the proposal that fantasy contexts serve to improve children’s performance on certain types of cognitive tasks, such as deductive and syllogistic reasoning and theory of mind (e.g., Dias & Harris, 1988; Dias, Roazzi, & Harris, 2005; Hawkins, Pea, Glick & Scribner, 1984; Richards & Sanderson, 1999; Lillard & Sobel, 1999; Sobel & Lillard, 2001). For example, according to Dias et al. (2005), placing an unfamiliar premise in a fantastical context – particularly when the premise directly contradicts a currently-held theory – allows children to override their natural empirical orientation, or bias to reason in line with their past experiences. It is unknown, however, how learning and generalization of novel causal information (which does not require the suspension of existing knowledge) is affected by the fantastical contexts of the Fictional stories in which this information is embedded. The ability to effectively process Fictional information is dependent upon a variety of representational skills, including at least two major factors that are unique to learning from Fictional material. The first includes the development of a mature concept about the boundary between the Fictional and real World, as well as an understanding of what information is more appropriately quarantined to the Fictional space. Second, it is necessary for children to develop an understanding of when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional to the real World, and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores the early development of each of these factors, and in particular, examines whether children’s sensitivity to contextual cues in Fictional Worlds changes over the course of development. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge. Keywords: causal inference; fiction; cognitive development; prior knowledge; representation The ‘Reader’s Dilemma’ Children’s growing knowledge about the World comes from a variety of sources, including their exposure to Fictional material. In fact, much of the unfamiliar information that children encounter appears in the context of stories and fantastical representations of the World. Children, like adults, therefore often encounter the “reader’s dilemma”: the need to compartmentalize Fictional information to insulate real World knowledge from false facts, and the simultaneous need to incorporate this information due to its potential application to a host of real World topics (Gerrig & Prentice, 1999; Potts, St. John, & Kirson, 1989). There is substantial evidence in developmental psychology that indicates that the ability to distinguish reality from fiction develops significantly during the preschool years (e.g., DeLoache, Pierroutakos, Uttal, Rosengren, & Gottlieb, 1998; Flavell, Flavell, & Green, 1989; Woolley & Cox, 2007; Woolley & Wellman, 1990; Woolley & Van Reet, 2006). However, very little research has explored children’s ability to learn causal information about the real World from their exposure to Fictional material. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Research has shown that the transfer of knowledge is generally facilitated by similarity between the context in which the information is learned, and the context in which it is to be applied (Catranbone & Holyoak, 1989; Spencer & Weisberg, 1986). However, many of the learning contexts that are created for young children act to reduce Children’s Beliefs about Fictional Worlds There is a growing literature in developmental psychology regarding when and how children distinguish between fantasy and reality. Methods for testing this distinction vary
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CogSci - Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds.
Cognitive Science, 2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge.
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Learning to Learn From Stories: Children's Developing Sensitivity to the Causal Structure of Fictional Worlds
Child Development, 2014Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Alison Gopnik, Patricia A. GaneaAbstract:Fiction presents a unique challenge to the developing child, in that children must learn when to generalize information from stories to the real World. This study examines how children acquire causal knowledge from storybooks, and whether children are sensitive to how closely the Fictional World resembles reality. Preschoolers (N = 108) listened to stories in which a novel causal relation was embedded within realistic or fantastical contexts. Results indicate that by at least 3 years of age, children are sensitive to the underlying causal structure of the story: Children are more likely to generalize content if the Fictional World is similar to reality. Additionally, children become better able at discriminating between realistic and fantastical story contexts between 3 and 5 years of age.
Caren M. Walker - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds - eScholarship
2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Children’s Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds Caren M. Walker 1 , Patricia A. Ganea 2 , & Alison Gopnik 1 (caren.walker@berkeley.edu, patricia.ganea@utoronto.ca, gopnik@berkeley.edu) Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 Human Development & Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, 56 Spadina Rd., Toronto, Canada M5R 2TI Abstract this perceived similarity by presenting information in a Fictional World that seamlessly interweaves fantasy and reality (Woolley & Cox, 2007). Even in explicitly pedagogical scenarios, teachers often embed their intended curriculum within a fantasy context. This decision is based on the assumption that Fictional Worlds are more engaging to the young child, and may therefore encourage increased sustained attention and learning of novel material (Harris, 2000; Renninger & Wozniak, 1985). Previous research supports the proposal that fantasy contexts serve to improve children’s performance on certain types of cognitive tasks, such as deductive and syllogistic reasoning and theory of mind (e.g., Dias & Harris, 1988; Dias, Roazzi, & Harris, 2005; Hawkins, Pea, Glick & Scribner, 1984; Richards & Sanderson, 1999; Lillard & Sobel, 1999; Sobel & Lillard, 2001). For example, according to Dias et al. (2005), placing an unfamiliar premise in a fantastical context – particularly when the premise directly contradicts a currently-held theory – allows children to override their natural empirical orientation, or bias to reason in line with their past experiences. It is unknown, however, how learning and generalization of novel causal information (which does not require the suspension of existing knowledge) is affected by the fantastical contexts of the Fictional stories in which this information is embedded. The ability to effectively process Fictional information is dependent upon a variety of representational skills, including at least two major factors that are unique to learning from Fictional material. The first includes the development of a mature concept about the boundary between the Fictional and real World, as well as an understanding of what information is more appropriately quarantined to the Fictional space. Second, it is necessary for children to develop an understanding of when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional to the real World, and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores the early development of each of these factors, and in particular, examines whether children’s sensitivity to contextual cues in Fictional Worlds changes over the course of development. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge. Keywords: causal inference; fiction; cognitive development; prior knowledge; representation The ‘Reader’s Dilemma’ Children’s growing knowledge about the World comes from a variety of sources, including their exposure to Fictional material. In fact, much of the unfamiliar information that children encounter appears in the context of stories and fantastical representations of the World. Children, like adults, therefore often encounter the “reader’s dilemma”: the need to compartmentalize Fictional information to insulate real World knowledge from false facts, and the simultaneous need to incorporate this information due to its potential application to a host of real World topics (Gerrig & Prentice, 1999; Potts, St. John, & Kirson, 1989). There is substantial evidence in developmental psychology that indicates that the ability to distinguish reality from fiction develops significantly during the preschool years (e.g., DeLoache, Pierroutakos, Uttal, Rosengren, & Gottlieb, 1998; Flavell, Flavell, & Green, 1989; Woolley & Cox, 2007; Woolley & Wellman, 1990; Woolley & Van Reet, 2006). However, very little research has explored children’s ability to learn causal information about the real World from their exposure to Fictional material. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Research has shown that the transfer of knowledge is generally facilitated by similarity between the context in which the information is learned, and the context in which it is to be applied (Catranbone & Holyoak, 1989; Spencer & Weisberg, 1986). However, many of the learning contexts that are created for young children act to reduce Children’s Beliefs about Fictional Worlds There is a growing literature in developmental psychology regarding when and how children distinguish between fantasy and reality. Methods for testing this distinction vary
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CogSci - Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds.
Cognitive Science, 2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge.
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Learning to Learn From Stories: Children's Developing Sensitivity to the Causal Structure of Fictional Worlds
Child Development, 2014Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Alison Gopnik, Patricia A. GaneaAbstract:Fiction presents a unique challenge to the developing child, in that children must learn when to generalize information from stories to the real World. This study examines how children acquire causal knowledge from storybooks, and whether children are sensitive to how closely the Fictional World resembles reality. Preschoolers (N = 108) listened to stories in which a novel causal relation was embedded within realistic or fantastical contexts. Results indicate that by at least 3 years of age, children are sensitive to the underlying causal structure of the story: Children are more likely to generalize content if the Fictional World is similar to reality. Additionally, children become better able at discriminating between realistic and fantastical story contexts between 3 and 5 years of age.
Patricia A. Ganea - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds - eScholarship
2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Children’s Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds Caren M. Walker 1 , Patricia A. Ganea 2 , & Alison Gopnik 1 (caren.walker@berkeley.edu, patricia.ganea@utoronto.ca, gopnik@berkeley.edu) Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 Human Development & Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, 56 Spadina Rd., Toronto, Canada M5R 2TI Abstract this perceived similarity by presenting information in a Fictional World that seamlessly interweaves fantasy and reality (Woolley & Cox, 2007). Even in explicitly pedagogical scenarios, teachers often embed their intended curriculum within a fantasy context. This decision is based on the assumption that Fictional Worlds are more engaging to the young child, and may therefore encourage increased sustained attention and learning of novel material (Harris, 2000; Renninger & Wozniak, 1985). Previous research supports the proposal that fantasy contexts serve to improve children’s performance on certain types of cognitive tasks, such as deductive and syllogistic reasoning and theory of mind (e.g., Dias & Harris, 1988; Dias, Roazzi, & Harris, 2005; Hawkins, Pea, Glick & Scribner, 1984; Richards & Sanderson, 1999; Lillard & Sobel, 1999; Sobel & Lillard, 2001). For example, according to Dias et al. (2005), placing an unfamiliar premise in a fantastical context – particularly when the premise directly contradicts a currently-held theory – allows children to override their natural empirical orientation, or bias to reason in line with their past experiences. It is unknown, however, how learning and generalization of novel causal information (which does not require the suspension of existing knowledge) is affected by the fantastical contexts of the Fictional stories in which this information is embedded. The ability to effectively process Fictional information is dependent upon a variety of representational skills, including at least two major factors that are unique to learning from Fictional material. The first includes the development of a mature concept about the boundary between the Fictional and real World, as well as an understanding of what information is more appropriately quarantined to the Fictional space. Second, it is necessary for children to develop an understanding of when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional to the real World, and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores the early development of each of these factors, and in particular, examines whether children’s sensitivity to contextual cues in Fictional Worlds changes over the course of development. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge. Keywords: causal inference; fiction; cognitive development; prior knowledge; representation The ‘Reader’s Dilemma’ Children’s growing knowledge about the World comes from a variety of sources, including their exposure to Fictional material. In fact, much of the unfamiliar information that children encounter appears in the context of stories and fantastical representations of the World. Children, like adults, therefore often encounter the “reader’s dilemma”: the need to compartmentalize Fictional information to insulate real World knowledge from false facts, and the simultaneous need to incorporate this information due to its potential application to a host of real World topics (Gerrig & Prentice, 1999; Potts, St. John, & Kirson, 1989). There is substantial evidence in developmental psychology that indicates that the ability to distinguish reality from fiction develops significantly during the preschool years (e.g., DeLoache, Pierroutakos, Uttal, Rosengren, & Gottlieb, 1998; Flavell, Flavell, & Green, 1989; Woolley & Cox, 2007; Woolley & Wellman, 1990; Woolley & Van Reet, 2006). However, very little research has explored children’s ability to learn causal information about the real World from their exposure to Fictional material. Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Research has shown that the transfer of knowledge is generally facilitated by similarity between the context in which the information is learned, and the context in which it is to be applied (Catranbone & Holyoak, 1989; Spencer & Weisberg, 1986). However, many of the learning contexts that are created for young children act to reduce Children’s Beliefs about Fictional Worlds There is a growing literature in developmental psychology regarding when and how children distinguish between fantasy and reality. Methods for testing this distinction vary
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CogSci - Children's Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds.
Cognitive Science, 2020Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Patricia A. Ganea, Alison GopnikAbstract:Fictional information presents a unique challenge to the developing child. Children must learn when it is appropriate to transfer information from the Fictional space to the real World and what contextual cues should be considered in this decision. The current research explores children’s causal inferences between Fictional representations and reality by examining their developing sensitivity to the proximity of the Fictional World to the real World, and the effect of this judgment on their subsequent generalization of novel causal properties. By 3-years of age, children are able to evaluate the data that they receive from Fictional stories in order to inform their generalization of novel story content to the real World. Additionally, as children develop, they become better able to discriminate between close (realistic) and far (fantastical) Fictional Worlds when assessing which stories are likely to provide relevant causal knowledge.
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Learning to Learn From Stories: Children's Developing Sensitivity to the Causal Structure of Fictional Worlds
Child Development, 2014Co-Authors: Caren M. Walker, Alison Gopnik, Patricia A. GaneaAbstract:Fiction presents a unique challenge to the developing child, in that children must learn when to generalize information from stories to the real World. This study examines how children acquire causal knowledge from storybooks, and whether children are sensitive to how closely the Fictional World resembles reality. Preschoolers (N = 108) listened to stories in which a novel causal relation was embedded within realistic or fantastical contexts. Results indicate that by at least 3 years of age, children are sensitive to the underlying causal structure of the story: Children are more likely to generalize content if the Fictional World is similar to reality. Additionally, children become better able at discriminating between realistic and fantastical story contexts between 3 and 5 years of age.
Mark Leenhouts - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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narrating china defunct capital and the Fictional World book review
China Journal, 2006Co-Authors: Mark LeenhoutsAbstract:Review(s) of: Narrating China: Defunct Capital and the Fictional World, Yiyan Wang, London: Routledge, 2006. x + 318 pp.
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Narrating China: Defunct Capital and the Fictional World
China Journal, 2006Co-Authors: Mark LeenhoutsAbstract:Narrating China: Defunct Capital and the Fictional World, by Yiyan Wang. London: Routledge, 2006. ? + 318 pp. £70.00 (hardcover). Author studies are quite rare in research on Chinese fiction of the post-Mao period. The predominance of socio-political motivations in literary scholarship, a trend strengthened in recent years by the subsumption of literary studies into the broader category of "cultural studies", leaves relatively little room for textoriented studies of individual oeuvres. This tends to limit the supply to thematically organized studies involving multiple authors, where arguments are often based on small selections of texts, without substantial formal evidence. In this light, Yiyan Wang's study of the writer Jia Pingwa (b. 1952) is a most welcome effort to repair the imbalance. After an overview of Jia's life and career, Wang singles out five of his major novels for closer analysis, devoting three chapters to Defunct Capital (Feidu, 1993), Jia's most famous novel to date, and a chapter each to the other, lesser known ones, published between 1993 and 2000. She concludes with a chapter on Jia's poetry and essays, which, in contrast to the well-wrought novel chapters, reads more like a short inventory, aiming mainly to show how Jia's themes as a fiction writer show up consistently in his other writings. All in all, this comprehensive, book-length study is a unique chance to get acquainted with one of the best-known contemporary authors of the People's Republic of China. Jia Pingwa is often called a nativist (xiangtu) writer, whose work is strongly informed by his own peasant origins. Wang therefore opts to combine "autobiographical, social and cultural background with close reading of the text", and as a consequence, "identity issues are at the core of the study" (p. 6). She sets out to "explore identity formation and cultural politics on the basis of literary nativism", which she defines as "the construction of a native place in fiction", with a style that draws on "indigenous narrative traditions" (p. 10). Chinese literary nativism, Wang holds, "does not aim at locating a distinctive local cultural identity in order to be separate from the Chinese nation"; instead, "the local is created to authenticate the national and to claim cultural and historical relevance" (p. 14). "Narrating China" is therefore the main motivation for nativist writers such as Jia Pingwa. For Jia personally, it appears, his own identity is not really an issue, but a given. He strongly feels that he is a peasant, and he is convinced that by writing about his homeland in Shaanxi Province, which he sees as the cradle of Chinese civilization, his works bear relevance to China as a cultural nation. This cultural China can be manifested through the portrayal of the daily life of Shaanxi peasants, whom he sees as the "authentic heirs" of Chinese civilization. Wang does not question Jia's straightforward claims to authenticity, and one perhaps would have expected a somewhat more critical attitude towards the delicate matter of autobiographical background in literature. Instead, Wang goes to great lengths to show Jia's cultural belonging to his native place, even noting his preference for the regional cuisine and his ineradicable local accent, even if he has lived in Xi'an, the provincial capital, for most of his life. …