英文摘要 |
Intended as part of a larger project that re-inscribes pre-modern Chinese same-sex culture from a contemporary queer perspective, this article tackles one of the most dominates relevant historical documents available today. As these documents are so informed with conventional wisdom that there can hardly be any space for transvaluation if they are read simply the way they are supposed to, this article undertakes an unusual comparative detour. That is, Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II is discussed first, in order to be enlightened by the Renaissance problematics that are foregrounded by its contemporary critical studies; the most significant of which lies in the deemed incompatibility between absolutist monarchy and private friendship. (Contemporary British queer director Derek Jarman's film version of Edward II is also briefly mentioned.) Thus equipped, the investigation finally turns its critical attention to the concrete textuality of the 'notorious' story of West Han Emperor Ai and his favorite Dong Xian as recorded in Ban Gu's Han Shu, seeking to deconstruct the text as well as de-legitimatize its embedded conventional wisdom. |