The Many Voices of Duying: Revisiting the Disputed Essays Between Lu Xun
  and Zhou Zuoren
Xin Xie Jiangqiong Li Haining Wang
Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren stand as two of the most influential writers in modern
Chinese literature. Beyond their familial ties as brothers, they were also
intimate collaborators during the nascent stages of their writing careers. This
research employs quantitative methods to revisit three disputed essays
pseudonymously published by the brothers in 1912. Our stylometric analysis uses
an interpretable authorship attribution model to investigate the essays'
authorship and examine the brothers' respective writing styles. Our findings
suggest that 'Looking at the Country of China' was authored by Lu Xun.
Moreover, 'People of Yue, Forget Not Your Ancestors' Instructions' seems to be
either predominantly authored or extensively revised by Lu Xun given its
notable stylistic similarities to 'Looking at the Land of Yue,' a piece Zhou
Zuoren recognized as his own, but edited by Lu Xun. The third essay, 'Where Has
the Character of the Republic Gone?,' exhibits a 'diluted', mixed writing
style, suggesting thorough collaboration. We offer visual representations of
essay features to facilitate a nuanced and intuitive understanding. We have
uncovered evidence suggesting Lu Xun's covert engagement with social issues
during his purported 'silent era' and provided insights into the brothers'
formative intellectual trajectories.