“Mythorealism” is a formal literary experiment developed by Yan Lianke, whose 2008 novel Ballad, Hymn, Ode (Feng ya song) produces a cumulative effect of absurdity that has provoked controversy over the extent to which it offers an effective social critique. In response to the scholarship based on realist readings of the novel, this article analyzes it from a “mythorealistic” perspective. It argues that the mythorealist narrative does not necessarily cancel out Yan’s social commentary but instead transfers his critical impulse to a psychol...
