Abstract
This article explores Lu Xun’s distinct view of the vital efficacy of literature, as
captured in his well-known conception of literature’s “usefulness without use.”
Starting with the highly idealistic vision of his youthful years, which posits an
unmediated flow of power from the free play of poetry to the direct action of politics,
I follow Lu Xun on the strenuous and crisis-ridden path he took in coming to terms
with the uselessness of literature vis-à-vis the power of politics, until he finally
reaffirmed the vital power of literature by pitching the self-transcending virtual
impetus of literature against the conservative actual power of politics. It is the self-
transcending, creative power of life, I propose, that Lu Xun came to affirm in
embracing the very tension between literature and politics as the forward-propelling
force of progress.
Publication Date
2022
Journal Title
Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
CUI, WENJIN, "“Usefulness without Use," Or, the Power of the Virtual: Lu Xun on the Vital Efficacy of Literature" (2022). Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews. 2410.
https://scholars.unh.edu/faculty_pubs/2410