What type of study is this?

This is a Literature Review study.

September 10, 2025

"Melancholia," Youyuzheng , and Yu : Mental Illness as a Call for National Salvation in Yu Dafu's Sinking

Key Points

Melancholia is portrayed as a critical symbol of mental illness and national decline in Chinese literature.
The author describes symptoms of youyuzheng to articulate concerns over societal degeneration in Yu Dafu's Sinking.
Through literary analysis of Sinking, the essay transforms mental illness into a metaphorical call for national salvation.
The exploration of these themes offers insights into early 20th-century Chinese societal issues and literary responses.

Abstract

Abstract: This essay examines "melancholia" ( youyuzheng ) as a notion introduced into Chinese society by the Chinese writer Yu Dafu in his novella Sinking . By describing its symptoms in the novella, the author expresses a concern over national degeneracy and ironically transforms a mental illness into a literary call for national salvation.

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Cite This Study

Dong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68c1e24854b1d3bfb60ff1be https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1353/mos.2023.a966658