Studies In Chinese Local Color Fiction Since 1990

The thesis intends to grasp the general development of Chinese local color fiction since 1990 by close reading the texts of writers concerned, and find out its inner motive power system and the serious problems in its writing. In the introduction the term "local color fiction" is defined. The author holds that rural areas (in contrast to urban areas) is hard core of local color fiction, which contains all the vitality inspiring imagination;while regional culture and spirit of the country are aesthetic intensions of local color fiction, and the term "local color fiction" can still be applied to literary criticism. Since 1990, local color fiction has been fading away in the cultural consumption market, but in the field of dominant culture it is still flourishing, and there are a lot of writers devoted to it. Its customary form is the sketch or short story, and its development is not balanceable between the north and the south. In respect of thematic intention, local color fiction since 1990 has been developing in four realms of imagination: criticism of the reality, cultural criticism, reflection on history and lookout for the home.From chapter 1 to chapter 4, the four realms of imagination are looked into respectively. Chapter 1 falls into four sections to discuss the works criticizing the reality, in which Liu Xinglong, Chen Yingsong, He Shen, Guan Renshan, Tan Wenfeng, Wang Xiangfu, Xia Tianmin, Xue Mo are criticized. The conclusions are: The works of these writers have broadly looked into the complicated social reality and criticized many hot social problems, problems such as harmful policies, corruption in the government, aid-the-poor program, peasant laborers and ecological crisis have drawn their attention. Although these works are not perfect in artistry, their sharp criticisms have evoked heated responses. They present a disappointing scene of the countryside, which is the sink of the countryside. In the view of the top-notch writers such as Liu Xinglong, Chen Yingsong, Tan Wenfeng and Xia Tianmin, rural areas are collapsing in politics, economy, culture, human nature and morals, so that the sink of the countryside is out of question. But exposures of the great social problems arenecessary to rebuild of a new countryside------not only a sociological new countryside,but also an aesthetic new countryside.Chapter 2 falls into four sections to discuss the works of local color fiction devoted to cultural criticism, Huang Jianguo, Yang Zhengguang, Qiao Dianyun, Li Peifu, Yan Lianke, Han Shaogong, Jia Pingwa are criticized respectively. The conclusions are: Criticizing the inherent weakness of our nation is still an important view in local color fiction, but contemporary Chinese writers tend to trace back to its political and economic sources, try to present it in a broader background such as history, living environment, power culture, human natures etc. In the other hand, it is also a forceful tide to reveal people's spiritual suffering in China's reform and sing a dirge for the elapsing traditional culture. Facing the complex social circumstances of China in which pre-modern, modern and postmodern culture traits coexist, most of the writers are so lost in different values and cultural conflicts that they cannot establish a healthy as well as reasonable cultural criticism system. They waver between modernenlightenment and cultural standpoint, moral criticism and value suspense, which just represents the great tension between sink and rebuild. Novels of Han Shaogong and Jia Pingwa are remarkable works of local color fiction in 1990s. They look at the countryside with worldwide transcending view, making comprehensive analyses in crashes and interactions between agricultural civilization and industrial civilization. In this way, they try to find the fate of traditional culture and that of human beings, and also reflect upon the covered value and significance of "backward" culture. Their cultural criticism is not one-way, or binary opposition, but to bring up problems in comparison and think of the paradox in the course of civilization.Chapter 3 falls into five sections to discuss the works of reflection on history, Chen Zhongshi, Zhao Defa, Yan Lianke, Yu Hua, Ai Wei, Liu Yutang are criticized. The conclusions are: Influenced by the tide of New historicism and other postmodernism, local color fiction since 1990 has opened towards personalized and diverse histories (or history narratives), and has brought about quite a few masterpieces. As to novels, grand narrative is still prevailing which tries to command the whole historical picture and trend, although their forms are no longer limited to epic. The rewritten histories trace back to the beginning of last century, covering the revolution and development history of New China and up to the present. By description of peasants' miserable survival, family and individual fates, they question the truth of modern myth, revolution Utopia, and power discourse, leading contemporary history narration to non-governmental, personal and subjective values and basic frameworks. The multi-histories reinforce political criticism and sharpness of question, as well as vary the artistic forms. Various rewriting or rebuilding operations show people's belief in individual freedom and personal liberty, also project the writers' hope and fear as well as their criticism of the reality. In general, works of local color fiction reflecting upon history have four narrative models: epic, allegory, legend and comedy.Chapter 4 falls into four sections to discuss the works of local color fiction on the lookout for the home, Zhang Wei, Chi Zijian, Liu Qingbang, Wang Xinjun, Shi Shuqing and some other writers are criticized. Now that we have entered the global city and ecological disasters are drawing to great crises, local color fiction concerning lookout for the home represents the most active cultural criticism, and so it is the most promising trend of literature. The works on the lookout for the home maximize the potential of rebuilding motive contained in local color fiction, and make creative imaginations on the ground of western philosophical thoughts. Although they lack the reverent philosophical question of Heidegger, they all present aesthetic consciousness of looking for a home for the spirit or soul to return to, and this home is usually found in traditional culture. The imaginations of these works spread in two directions: One way is to grope for the poetic quality or luster in rural life, and to find eternal beauty, value of life and cultural significance in traditional way of life. What is more, some other writers build their own aesthetic realm of spirit or ideal home of spirit, such as Chi Zijian, Liu Qingbang, Wang Xinjun and so on. Another way is to describe the deteriorating and broken rural situation, and to lament the declining agricultural civilization. One example is Zhang Wei, besides, Jia Pingwa's novels in 1990s expressstrong agony and perplexity in face with the decline of traditional culture, which also means the lost of home.After inspection of the four realms of imagination, chapter 5 concludes that: First, the four realms of imagination construct the thematic imagination system, which is a reasonable, vigorous, and positive literary ecosystem, enough to show wide and deep multi-level humanistic concerns of contemporary local color fiction. Second, the motive power system that has effect on all the four realms of imagination is "sink and rebuild". As inner motive and deep structure of local color fiction, "sink and rebuild" has stood out from the contemporary era of multiculturalism and speeding up civilization transformation, and has shown up as leading motive power by entering the thematic stratum. "Sink and rebuild" contains the vitality and crux of local color fiction: While making the local color fiction since 1990 full of vitality, it demands appropriate tension among different values and feelings, which is too difficult to control. It also suggests the future of local color fiction: the rebuild will finally aim at the ultimate ideals such as the home of the soul. Third, there are three problems in local color fiction: 1. the relationship between patterning and innovation. In the works of criticism of the reality and cultural criticism, patterning is the most serious. But innovation is going on quietly, Zhang Wei, Yan Lianke, Chen Yingsong, Gui Zi have contributed successful texts. On the contrary, the failure texts are more;the representative works are Liu Zhenyun and Yang Zhengguang's novels deconstructing history. 2.the relationship between national nature and humanity. There is an otherizing tendency in pursuit of national nature, Mo Yan is an example;While the pursuit of humanity often cannot cohere with national nature and spirit of the times, so the texts cannot reveal native problems and circumstances, also cannot blend into China's history and culture, a typical example is Ai Wei. In comparison, Yan Lianke, Jia Pingwa and Yu Hua have offered successful texts in handling the relationship between national nature and humanity. 3.the relationship between secularity and transcendence. Local color fiction has retreated to marginal land in popular cultural market, and so it has been brought into the fashion trend of secularization. The secular trend of local color fiction is mainly displayed in the following aspects: l.The pure feelings and emotions have been replaced by naked sex, so that countryside in no longer the home for spiritual sustenance.2. Unlimited humor, banter and farce have damaged the seeking of value as well as the expression of thinking and feeling. 3. Regional culture has faded and language has been vulgarized. But generally speaking, in comparison with fiction whose theme is on the urban scene, local color fiction still sticks to those traditional spirit of literature, which includes the following seeking of transcendence: criticizing the reality, moral concern, reflection upon history, asking for meaning, pursuit of ideal etc, and also includes the seeking for beauty of language, of emotions, of artistic mood etc, which have been talked a lot in the above chapters.