ABSTRACT
This chapter uses the paradigms of isolation and integration to approach Taiwan literature. After reviewing how the question of marginality (as opposed to China’s centrality) has significantly affected scholarly research on Taiwan, the chapter first of all shows that Taiwan’s marginality should not be considered as an absolute concept, but as a flexible one that took shape in the relationship with different centres, and which even shows positive potentials.
In order to overcome the contrast between margins and centre, Taiwan literature is then addressed using two different paradigms: isolation and integration (or connection). The analysis of the creative and critical writings by two particularly representative Taiwanese authors such as Wu Chuo-liu and Chen Yingzhen will serve as an exemplification of how each paradigm has been envisioned in literature, and how both contribute to highlight important characteristics of the island’s literary experience. The chapter thus concludes that the two paradigms can integrate to offer a combined approach to Taiwan literature at large, helping to overcome the dichotomy of the marginality/centrality approach.
