International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(10): 284 - 294 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org Abortion in Select Works by Mo Yan of the People’s Republic of China Jeff Koloze, University of Phoenix, USA Abstract: This paper considers abortion as a literary topic in works by Mo Yan of The People’s Republic of China, focusing on the short story “Explosions” (1985) and commentary from other works by the author. After reviewing demographic considerations of abortion and the one-child policy in the PRC which form the basis for contemporary works which concern abortion, the paper reviews various literary theories which could be used to help Western readers understand the author’s treatment of this issue. The paper then concludes that aspects of reception theory and formalist explication will be the most suitable means to review the literature. Finally, the paper examines passages from various short stories and novels to illustrate how abortion is considered in Mo’s work. Keywords: Chinese literature, abortion, criticism Introduction A review of any literary work on abortion in the People’s Republic of China presents researchers with an immediate problem. Should discussing the topic of abortion rely on sociological documentation of abortion as practiced on the mainland, or does another perspective apply? Can one take strictly a political view towards the matter, or does one need to consider factors usually associated with other literary theories (such as the role of women from a feminist literary viewpoint or the confrontation of ideologies from a Marxist perspective—the latter being the literary theory one would almost automatically think would apply when speaking about life in Communist China)? For purposes of this study, the practices of reception theory combined with formalist explication seem to be the optimum means by which selected literary artifacts will be evaluated, primarily because the theory can afford American researchers and students of literature insights into the interaction of the ideological confrontation between official, received statements on one of the most controversial matters in the Chinese world (national policies on birth control and reproductive rights when confronted with failed birth control leading to abortion) and the notions held by millions of Chinese whose attitudes and opinions towards compulsory birth control and forced abortion are now becoming evident in the West. Abortion and Demographic Concerns in the PRC The number of annual abortions performed in the People’s Republic is staggering, estimated by Aird (1990) at eight million per year between 1971-1985 for a total of 111,960,987 abortions (Slaughter, p. 40). Other sources indicate the figure is close to thirteen million annual abortions currently versus twenty million live births; thus, about one-third of all pregnancies per year are aborted (Canaves, 2009). What is perhaps most curious about the number of abortions performed is that China has neither a history of abortion agitation, nor