VIEWS ON LITERARY CHARACTERS IN CONTEMPORARY TIBETAN CRITICAL WRITINGS

Since characters usually have a central function in fictional prose, it is worth paying attention to Tibetan theoretical writings concerning them. Although some attention has already been paid to the emergence of modern Tibetan literary criticism and especially to critical discussion about poetry in the 1980s [Hartley, 2003], there is a need to pay more attention to the concepts and theories used by Tibetan critics to analyze prose. To provide some preliminary information on the topic, ten Tibetan language articles on characters are discussed in this article. They were published between the years 1992–2007 in journals titled Bod kyi rtsom rig sgyu rtsal (Tibetan Literature and Art), mTsho sngon slob gso (Qinghai Education) and Bod ljongs sgyu rtsal zhib ‘jug ( Tibetan Art Research). Based on examination of Tibetan writings it can be understood that there are various views on characterization in Tibetan literary critical discussion. The Tibetan critics have discussed both works of Tibetan contemporary and traditional literature and literature from other countries. The idea of the typical character, which can be found in the writings of Engels, Gorky and Belinsky, has been used and applied in some of the articles. Also influences from different directions, such as from India, Russia and China, can be observed as having influenced Tibetan ideas about characterization. However, the articles also demonstrate how Tibetan insights rise from the critics’ careful readings of Tibetan literature.