The Transformation Of Hero Image In Military Novel Since The New Era

The power of art comes from the power of image. Hero image is not only the basic starting point but also the fundamental value to appreciate military novel. This paper chooses the hero image building as the theoretical perspective of military novel and studies the transformation of hero image in military novel by diachronic sort as well as analyzing 30 years since the new age. This paper tries to discuss the value and significance, limitations and lack of reflection of military novel through the type, the transformation path and the character feature which presented in disenchantment, counteraction and reconstruction these three periods. This article tries to provide some reference for further development about contemporary military literature as well as role models and spiritual support for the present spirit weakness and lack of faith of people.This article includes five parts. The introduction discusses the significance of the topic of this paper, review of the topic and train of thought. It also defines military literature, army literature, and military novel and so on.The first part discusses disenchantment of hero. Taking Charisma hero in "Seventeen Years" military novel as a logical starting point, military novels of the new age are all express the same theme that "hero is people" and "solider is people". South line war novel takes the human spirit of hero as the starting point. Whether a female image full of human interest or a male image with shortcomings, it indicate that south line war novel had transformed from divine hero to human hero. The Kuomintang military novel getted over the barriers of ideological changed the typical Charisma hero shape model which was demonized and conceptualized, and created a new hero image which had finished the change from political hero to national hero. "Red Sorghum" of Mo Yan is the representative of the historical war novel. These novels successfully open up civil battlefield of history war, and created the folk hero image with an unrestrained ideology. The peaceful military novel, change the political, ethical conflicts which soliders faced to conflicts between oneslfe and others, and shapes absurd hero under political stamp as well as tough hero who choose between hero and humanity, which also shapes heroes in the struggle of ideal and reality. It reveals the light of hero which showed in dedications that ordinary people can not afford. The tough hero image, composite round characters, and the fate of the noble tragedy are the basic features of hero image shaping in military novel in the new age. However, the narrow concep of hero makes "common" sheield "personality", "heroism" extruded "humanity" and "humanity" conteracted "army humanity". What's more, strongly "theme intend" causes an inherent contradiction btween counteraction disenchantment and enchantment in military novel and makes the disenchantment of military novel unfinished.The second part analyzes on counteracting hero from late 80's to early 90's. During this period, the traditional organizational forms and ideology (ideological) of military writer is counteracted due to the impact of strengthening business environment and fading political environment. Whether the history war or the war of future, they are forgotten by military writers. With its powerful appeal of the times, peace camp themes become the only bright spot in military novel in this period. The difference is that most of these work which used to express spirit of sacrifice and dedication of soldiers in the peacetime turns into describing the difficult and troubles of soldiers' life in the era of transition, especially the spirit of confusion, emotional crisis, and mental imbalance of the soldiers under the influence of "transition culture". Most military novel trend towards profane. From glorious to deserted, from construction to counteraction, what accompanied with hero description is a new deficiency of martial value and professional anxiety. Counteraction of heroes of this period in military novels starts from two dimensions. First is describes the defection of enrolled farmers and the second is describes the image of soldiers who lived in courtyard. During this period, the characterization showed its feature of multi-dimensional image building, gray tone psychological description and desire-oriented love writing, but lack of rational spirit and the loss of military character are the main defect.The third part mainly studies on the reconstruction of hero in military novel since the late 90's. Into the late 90s, far from panic-stricken, dazzled military writer have taken up heroism once again which was long-neglected by them, and formed a new wave of military novel with a "re-brilliant" attitude toward hero. First of all, the theme of war, a unique resource of military literature has been taken seriously by writers again. Second, after realistic idealism gives its way to idealism, reconstruction replaced counteraction, elevation replaced abandonment, and resistance replaced compromise, "searching for heroes" has become a central topic of the new wave of military novel. Third, with innovative way of thinking, expertly creative skills, sincere feelings and self-confidence creative attitude, the number of military writer who were born in the 50's and 60's, at the same time boldly forward to the literary stylistics which mainly include full-length novels. Military novel of realistic themes pay attention to the marginal value of heroes, which no longer stand on answering "what a hero is", but focus on "who can be a hero" or "how to be a hero", and build the new solider image such as rebirth in the war, aimed at the future war, and reinvent spirit of solider. The new revolutionary history novels has build the image of elder generation hero, purple hero and bloody hero by writing the growth of heroes instead of writing revolutionary history. These heroes become the new figures who different from past by their unique image, delicate mental progress, profligacy love feelings, powerful male consciousness and miserable fate. And at the same time, it also has the defects of secularization, modeling, and idealization.Last but not the least, two ways of reconstruction of military novel have been point out which are regression on military and moving toward the public.