Wang Xiaobo: The Double Temptation of Revolution and Sexual Allurement

In contrast with an established pattern of narrative that blames the Cultural Revolution for being an era of sexual frustration, Wang Xiaobo fascinates his readers with stories in which his protagonists enjoyed a ”sex carnival” during this time of political turbulence. Exploring the complex role played by desire in the construction of the subjectivities of the characters in Wang's two novellas, this paper argues that Wang Xiaobo's representation of sexuality during the Cultural Revolution is neither a continuity of the humanist discourse of de-alienation, nor a simple advocacy of sexual freedom. Instead, it is a sophisticated inquiry into the nature of desire itself, a determined querying of the complex relationship between political power and sexual allurement, and a persistent exploration of the possibility of individualized writing.