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The Irony of Cats in Literature: Comparison of the Works of I Am A Cat And A Tale of Cat City

Author(s)

Meiqi Liu

Affiliation(s)

Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Abstract

In Natsume Soseki's "I Am A Cat", the cat's point of view is used to criticize the current bad situation of the society, and rely on the unbiased standpoint to see the bourgeoisie's oppression of others and the status quo of being rich and ungrateful, as well as the intellectuals led by Bitter Shamisen's anger and helplessness towards the current situation of the society. Lao She, who was also in the background of an era, wrote "A Tale of Cat City", which also used the image of cats. As a normal person, "I" observed the life of cat people and saw the disorder and panic in their lives to express my disappointment in the times and my confusion about the future path. The two writers, who are not connected with reality, coincidentally use the same imagery to reflect the social reality. Based on the two works, comparisons are used to understand the struggles and contributions of the Chinese people on the road of eastern modernization, and to reflect their character as the initiators of the modern countries of the East.

Keywords

I Am A Cat; A Tale of Cat City; Literati Spirit; Critique of Civilization; Dissimilar Narratives

References

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