On June 14, 2024, Professor Wang Shufu, a professor and supervisor of doctoral students at Central China Normal University, presented a captivating lecture titled "From Economic Events to Economic Vocabulary: The Economic Poetics in Babel's Works" to the faculty and students of the School of Foreign Studies at Nankai University.
Professor Wang began by sharing the current international research status on the literary creations of Soviet writer Isaac Babel. He then analyzed the possibilities and inevitabilities of economic writing in Babel's works from the perspectives of the writer's family background, social environment, and the policies of the Tsarist government. Focusing on three levels—Babel's descriptions of economic events, the presentation of economic consciousness, and the prominence of economic vocabulary—Professor Wang unveiled the polyphonic and documentary, aesthetic and decorative characteristics of Babel's economic writing. He posited that Babel's creations represent an economic poetics that integrates the recognition of economic situations and social operating logic, alongside literary aesthetic value and intellectual exploration.
Additionally, Professor Wang introduced cutting-edge topics in academic research, encouraging young scholars to employ interdisciplinary methods and express their academic insights on forefront issues such as Sino-Russian cultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations.
During the interactive session, enthusiastic questions were raised by the attendees on hot topics in literary research, to which Professor Wang provided detailed answers. This lecture broadened the research horizons of both faculty and students from an interdisciplinary standpoint, offering them profound benefits.
