The Story of the Seven Condemned Prisoners and Ah Q’s “Grand Finale”
Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between the Japanese translation of Andreyev’s novella The Story of the Seven Condemned Prisoners and Lu Xun. Building on the reconstruction of Lu Xun’s request to Zhou Zuoren to purchase books in Tokyo, as evidenced by Lu Xun’s letters and Zhou Zuoren’s Diary, the study examines, at the textual level, the connection between the character of the peasant “Ivan Yanson,” one of the protagonists in The Story of the Seven Condemned Prisoners, and the character development in The True Story of Ah Q. It reveals that many of Ah Q’s traits, particularly his psychological response to death in the “grand finale” ending, bear a certain resemblance to Andreyev’s “Ivan Yanson.” While arguing that the Japanese translation of The Story of the Seven Condemned Prisoners should be included in Lu Xun’s “witnessed reading list,” the paper also uses Lu Xun’s perspective on this work to highlight the uniqueness of The True Story of Ah Q, which stems from the author’s distinctive insight into observing life and drawing material. This aspect holds universal significance in the relationship between Lu Xun’s reading and creative process.
Keywords: Andreyev, The Story of the Seven Condemned Prisoners, Lu Xun, The True Story of Ah Q, Zhou Zuoren
