International Communication Studies in Literature and Art

ICSLA, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2025, pp.262-270.

Print ISSN: 3079-2711; Online ISSN: 3104-5081

Journal homepage: https://www.icslajournal.com

DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/ICSLA.25.2.09

An Innovative Interpretation of Misreading Through a Functional Perspective: A Review of Civilization’s Unfilial Sons: Chinese Narratives in Modern American Drama

Zhou Xia

Abstract：In the fields of traditional cultural dissemination and comparative literature, the study of “the image of China” was once confined to a simplistic framework preoccupied with judging its “authenticity,” while “misreading” was largely viewed as a stumbling block in cross-cultural communication. Although 21st-century cross-cultural narrative research has transcended the true/false paradigm, the significance of “misreading” remains a subject of ongoing academic debate. Professor Gao Ziwen's work, Civilization’s Unfilial Sons: Chinese Narratives in Modern American Drama, uses the evolution of modern American theater as a case study. It reveals how American playwrights drew inspiration and intellectual nourishment from traditional Chinese culture, reconstructing it through a modernist artistic language to expand the boundaries of American drama. Taking this book as its central object of analysis, this paper examines its theoretical breakthrough in studying misreading from a functional perspective and explores its implications for fostering a mature national mindset among citizens in a contemporary major power.

Keywords：Image studies; Cross-cultural; Misreading; functionality

Author Biography: Zhou Xia，Lecturer, school of humanities, Anshun College. Research Interests: teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages (TCSOL), comparative literature. Email: 2668349372@qq.com

标题：功能视角之下“误读”的创新性解读——评《文明的逆子们——美国现代戏剧的中国叙事》

摘要：在传统文化传播与比较文学研究的领域中“中国形象研究”一度陷入“真伪评判”的单一框架，而“误读”视为跨文化交流的障碍，进入21世纪，跨文化叙事研究虽跳出了以“真伪”为唯一标准的窠臼，但是对于“误读”的意义学界一直莫衷一是。高子文教授的著作《文明的逆子们——美国现代戏剧的中国叙事》以美国现代戏剧的发展历程为研究载体，揭示美国剧作家们如何从中国传统文化中汲取灵感和养分，现代性的艺术语言进行重构，拓展美国现代戏剧的边际。本文以该著作为分析对象，剖析其从功能角度研究误读的理论突破，探讨其对当代大国公民心态建设实践的启示意义。

关键词：形象研究；跨文化；误读；功能性

作者简介：周霞，安顺学院人文学院讲师，研究方向：对外汉语教学、比较文学。电子邮箱：2668349372@qq.com。

Received: 30 Sep 2025 / Revised: 7 Oct 2025 / Accepted: 06 Nov 2025 / Published online: 30 Nov 2025 / Print published: 30 Dec 2025.