Conflict and Suspension of Non-Human Narrative Subjects in Mo Yan’s Novels

The distinctiveness of Mo Yan's novels such as Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, The Thirteenth Step, and Horse Talk lies in their adoption of non-human (animals, ghosts, etc.) narrators. These works exhibit typical forms of subject conflict: the subject conflict between the narrator and the characters gives rise to redundant narration, while the subject conflict between the narrator and the implied author generates unreliable narration. Furthermore, the intertwining and conflict among the characters, the narrator, and the implied author produce a distinctive effect of multiple voices and subject suspension. In his innovative use of narrative forms, Mo Yan explores the possibilities of non-human narrators, bearing the dual significance of expanding conceptions of non-human narrative and countering anthropocentrism.