Literature In Paris And Shanghai: Zola, Mao Dun, For Example

City is a universal element existent in the literature of different nations. In the 19th and 20th century literature, city has become an independent aesthetic subject, representing the response of writers to social problems and cultural phenomena on different stages of modernization. As central cities in the modernization process of their own countries, Paris in the middle of 19th century and Shanghai in the early 20th century epitomized the historical characteristics of such stages, which was both different and common in the nature of their problems. Zola and Mao Dun were closely involved in the process of their own national urbanization and modernization, and strongly responded to them. Zola, as a "flaneur" of Paris, developed a rebellious sense and skeptical spirit combined with that of scientism and rationalism and formed his own moral and literary views and values as he came from the lowest rung in Paris. Literature was his own life, truth and justice were his ultimate concerns. In the delineation of the space in Paris, Zola concerned himself about ecological environment of Paris through the description of the destruction of natural environment by industrial civilization and its influences upon human psychology. He depicted the relationship between human beings and cities through the image of labyrinth. Under his pen, social life and spiritual conditions of people from different walks of life in Paris were on display: With the modernization, there appeared such social problems as disorderly society, insatiable desires, gap between the rich and the poor, the general loss of moral integrity, degeneration of human nature, spiritual hollowness and so on. The nature of Paris, closely related with .the evil of human nature, became "the duplicate of hell". In his late novels, Zola portrayed apostle-like modem intellectuals who shouldered the mission of saving the society and built a "Utopian city" based on love, where equality, justice and freedom prevailed. This represented his efforts to reconstruct moral and value systems. Just contrary to Zola, Mao Dun, with double identity of a statesman and a literary man, had a strong sense of political mission and a sense of national crisis, and tried to accomplish his political mission through joining the society and the party. He, therefore, demonstrated a collective spirit. Mao Dun's relationship and experience of Shanghai were tremendously affected by the politics. In his delineation of the space of Shanghai, concession occupied a central position, assuming moral and political meanings. His sense of otherness in space reflected his unconscious sense of territory, non-home and unfamiliarity. Mao Dun called for industrial civilization and eulogized machines and problems of ecology and environment didn't yet come to his notice. Shanghai was a symbol of modernization, as well as an intermediary for western forces in destroying traditional Chinese political order and moral system in the country. An asylum for feudal elements escaping from the country and abnormal factors of the west, Shanghai became a consumptive "deformed devil capital". Class-consciousness, nationalism and patriotism played a leading role in Mao Dun's moral and ethical views. Labor and management contradictions, the revolution of workers and intellectuals wereintertwined with the national conflicts. Intellectuals, either corrupted or weak, were unable to lead the city revolution. They had only revolutionary enthusiasm, but accomplished little, with their empty mind and weak spirit. This reflected the absence of the role of intellectuals and the nothingness of their values in the modernization process of Shanghai. Different responses and delineation of Zola and Mao Dun towards their respective cities had direct relationships with differences between Paris and Shanghai. Paris was a suzerain city whose modernization was internally motivated, whereas Shanghai was a semi-colonial city whose modernization was externally motivated.