What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess whether blurred human-animal boundaries and shapeshifting in Pu Songling's Liaozhai Zhiyi genuinely challenge anthropocentrism or uphold human supremacy.

December 16, 2020Society and Animals

The Face of the Nonhuman: Human-Animal Encounters in Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi

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To assess whether blurred human-animal boundaries and shapeshifting in Pu Songling's Liaozhai Zhiyi genuinely challenge anthropocentrism or uphold human supremacy.
Conducted a textual and literary analysis of multiple human-animal encounter tales within Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio).
Evaluated representations of shapeshifting and ethical reciprocity against traditional Chinese philosophical frameworks, including Daoism.
Observed that while shapeshifting facilitates ethical reciprocity between species, fluid physical boundaries do not inherently displace the human from the center of moral value.
Identified a narrative hierarchy that consistently privileges 'becoming-human' over retaining animal characteristics.
Demonstrated that the tales naturalize 'human virtues' as the universal moral standard governing both human and nonhuman entities.

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Implication

Literary analysis uncovers persistent anthropocentrism in Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi, indicating that animal shapeshifting reinforces rather than de-centers human virtues.

Cite This Study

Whyke et al. (2020) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1937f6f2eb401dc788c822 https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-bja10031

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Implication

Literary analysis uncovers persistent anthropocentrism in Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi, indicating that animal shapeshifting reinforces rather than de-centers human virtues.

The Face of the Nonhuman: Human-Animal Encounters in Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi

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Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

The Face of the Nonhuman: Human-Animal Encounters in Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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