Displacement And Transcendence

The diasporic Chinese writers iri the Aiiglo world have been on the increase and their achivement has attracted the attention of Western academia. Their rise reflects on the one hand the awakening and development of ethnic minorities, and on the other the fact that ethnic Chinese has become an indispensable part in the multicultural world. Although scattered around the world due to different historical reasons, these diasporic Chinese writers have formed an imagined Chinese community and their literary expressions give rise to a new area in literary and cultural studies.Living in the host culture but marginalized as an ethnic minority, the diasporic Chinese writers express almost unanimously their misgivings about identity and the desire of transcendence. The present study is an attempt, therefore, to explore the displacement and transendence issues characteristic of all diasporic Chinese writers hi the Anglo world.Chapter I traces the image of ethnic Chinese hi the Anglo world in chronological order, from (1) The Yellow Peril and the Appearance of Fu Manchu; (2) Sexual Distortions of Ethnic Chinese; (3) Model Minority Stereotype to (4) The Image of the "Other". The representation of ethnic Chinese in the Anglo discourse provides a political, historical and social context for the discussion of diasporic Chinese literary expressions. Chapter II is an exploration of the awakening of diasporic Chinese writers hi the Anglo world. It discusses the impact of cultural nationalism employed by Frank Chin et al. to fight against the domination of western discourse and their claim for a proper place in the Anglo society. Chapter III is a continuation of the previous chapter by discussing remasculinization efforts made by diasporic Chinese male writers. The author argues that their efforts are justified given the historical emasculation of ethnic Chinese in the Anglo discourse. Chapter IV examines the popularity of some diasporic Chinese writers and argues that their canonization in mainstream society is usually achieved, consciously or unconsciously, at the sacrifice of Chineseculture as a fetishised commodity to satisfy western fantasy. Chapter V proceeds to explore by means of postcolonial translation theory the recreation of identity of some diasporic Chinese writers and argues that some diasporic Chinese writers, while trying to translate Chinese culture into the host culture, usually place Chinese culture at a disadvantageous position as mysterious and untranslatable. In this chapter the author also confirms some other diasporic Chinese writers whose translation of Chinese culture marks a different effort not stained by Orientalism. Chapter VI investigates identity struggles of diasporic Chinese writers in their frequent use of mirror image, doublings, and schizophrenia. Chapter VII explores the transcendental efforts made by disporic Chinese writers, as represented by Kingston's novel Tripmaster Monkey, to rid themselves of the dual identity crisis and merge themselves with people of different colors. Chapter VIII proceeds to further explore the transcendental efforts by discussing the works of Brian Castro, especially his use of heterotopias, e.g. to live in an exilic life, which is associated with the eulogy of exile and diaspora by present-day diasporic writers around the world as a way out of traditional identity wrestling. The present author maintains that their transcendental efforts are justified given their present situation, but in giving away both the host culture and the ancester culture, their efforts are still in the shadow of western binary opposition which underlies Orientalism.Cultural studies are incorporated into our analysis of diasporic Chinese literature. This ideological incorporation reflects the trend of recent literary scholarship in the West, from which the present thesis draws on such critical approaches as postcolonialism, Marxism, feminism and psychoanalysis. The application of these theories makes the author realize that the literary analysis, especially as it involves the et...