“Imagination is a Tricky Powerâ€: Transnationalism and Aesthetic Education in Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s Work
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/asiatic.v8i1.452Abstract
In light of the recent "transnational turn" in American Studies, there has been a steady interest in questions about literary productions and aesthetic education. Already Friedrich Schiller’s definition of the concept of aesthetic education in 1794 holds that literature has the potential to assume the role of an agent working towards a paradigm shift away from the national as representational category and towards the embracing of transnational concepts. My article examines the relevance of aesthetic education apparent in a selection of Shirley Lim’s work. Framed through the personal experiences of protagonists and lyrical personae that are always issuing meta-referential comments on the creation of literature or the production and dissemination of knowledge, Lim emphasises the role of aesthetic education as a politically-charged feeling of beauty and belonging. Examples from Lim’s fictional and non-fictional work allow me to trace the ontological dimensions aesthetic education acquires in a transnational context.
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