Finding Symbolism in R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface (2023) by ChatGPT: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Inquiry

Forutanian, Shadi; Pourgharib, Behzad

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2025.545449.1133

Finding Symbolism in R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface (2023) by ChatGPT: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Inquiry

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shadi Forutanian ¹

Behzad Pourgharib ²

¹ Postdoctorial researcher of Mazandaran University

² Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iranو

10.22034/ijpie.2025.545449.1133

Abstract

This study undertakes a critical examination of the interpretative abilities of large language models (LLMs), with a particular focus on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, in discerning and analyzing complex literary symbolism embedded within culturally and politically nuanced fiction. Using R.F. Kuang’s 2023 satirical novel Yellowface as a focal point, the research adopts a qualitative and iterative prompting methodology to systematically assess the model’s capacity to engage with key symbolic passages. These passages address crucial themes such as cultural appropriation, digital performance, and the persistent phenomenon of historical erasure. The findings demonstrate that, while ChatGPT-4 can reliably recognize overt symbols and effectively apply established theoretical frameworks when given explicit, directive prompts, its default interpretive tendencies reveal notable limitations. Specifically, the model exhibits a consistent pattern of universalizing and, in effect, depoliticizing critiques that are inherently racially and culturally specific. This tendency results in interpretations that lack the contextual depth and specificity essential for a robust engagement with the novel’s satire and its nuanced interrogation of racial capitalism. Indeed, the model’s ability to grapple with satire, multivalent or layered meanings, and the necessity for contextual grounding remains markedly insufficient.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence

Literary Symbolism

Qualitative Analysis

Cultural Appropriation

Digital Hermeneutics

Subjects

Literature and Education

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