| From the perspective of folklore, the present dissertation is devoted to the study on how modern Chinese popular novels are presented in terms of conception and form by employing the basic approach of folklore, which is to review, interpret and research into the novels in contexts of folk customs. The so-called proposition of folkloristic significance of novels, involving folkloristic value of the texts, is particularly apparent in the literary meaning of novels in forms of folk notion, folk narration, folk description and public feeling.Introduction: With a brief historical review of the relation between folk custom and literature, folk custom and novel, the present writer finds the theoretical crossing point of folklore and modern Chinese popular novels, and proposes the theme of the dissertation, which is the folkloristic significance of modern Chinese novels.Chapter One: It develops from three aspects: contexts of folkloristic theory, man in folklore and literature, and contradiction between the popularity of folklore and the modern consciousness. It starts with a general review of theoretic essentials of folklore applied in the research of modern and contemporary popular novels, such as the research area of folklore, connotation and characteristics of folk custom, etc. to build the principle status of man in folk customs. Then it compares the popularity difference between novels and folklore, and analyses the relation between the nature of popularity and the modern consciousness in novels, with popular novelist Mr. Zhang Henshui and his works as illustrations. By means of analysis and contrast, it tries to set the study target, Chinese modern popular novels, in some theoretic space and discourse context of folklore to make possible new interpretation to the present refined and popular tastes in novel appreciation.Chapter Two: Game is a folk-custom activity relating to the origin of literature. The abundant game plots and fascinating game atmosphere found in popular novels help to form the game concept in novels. Modern Chinese popular novels usually confront with criticism from different aspects for the fooling-around-time attitude and value held by their characters. This chapter is to elaborate on the historical and folk sources for the generation of the game concept, as well as to objectively interpret the relation between the popularity of games and popular novels of modern and contemporary China upon the analysis of writing features of games and different attitudes toward games.Chapter Three: Collective characteristic, together with its further typical characteristic, is selected as the cut-in point from all folk custom features. Based on the case studies of Zhang Henshui, Liu Yunruo and some other novelists of Shanghai School, it aims to make analysis of the pop culture in city novels, conclude the typical characteristics of folk customs, and formulate literary models or patterns adopted by novelists in pop culture description. Such kinds of models or patterns are contradictory to the art of literature, which calls for individuality and innovation. However, there is a sound reason for their existence and popularity in city novels which has something to do with the reading, appreciation and tastes of secular life, as well as with the collective characteristic of folk customs.Chapter Four: Fictions on factions, gangs and martial arts have a particularly prominent impact on modern and contemporary popular novels. With the introduction of concepts of Jianghu (society in the Kung Fu fiction), factions and gangs, and errantry spirit, this chapter is devoted to exploring folkloristic connotation of the fictions of this type. Jianghu is a folk image abundant in poetic and cultural meaning in Kung Fu fictions. Factions and gangs are folk organizations found in civil society, revelation of private information of which itself is a best way to demonstrate the defamiliarization effect generated by the curiosity purchasing of the novel. Errantry, falling into the category of spiritual folk customs, is a kind of national spirit that has been handed down for generations. It functions as the spiritual support of fictions on factions, gangs and martial arts that enjoy particular popularity in civil society. All those folk custom components and connotations found in Kung Fu fictions contribute a lot in reinforcing the literature nature of the works. Chapter Five: Folk customs are the life and cultural continuity of both past and present society. Social novels are embedded with more folk significance and value than other popular novels. Take the popular novel"Guang Ling Chao"for instance. It is typical to some extent to extend the embedded folk significance of the text to texts of other social novels by carefully interpreting the indication of place, time and folk customs in the novel. In spite of the fact that social novels are different from common folk custom records in terms of purposes and expression manners, they share the common working objects, the sourceful social life and folk culture."Guang Ling Chao"belongs to social novels for its comprehensive narration and description of folk custom activities. The picturesque description of folk customs helps to enrich the literature nature of the work and broadens the aesthetic vision of the novel.
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