A Study On Post-80s Writcrs’ Youth Narratives From The Vision Of Self-identity

The study object of this thesis is post-80s writers’ youth narratives. In the view of self-identity theory, it is the reanson of the trend of "post-80s " youth narratives: "post-80s " spent their childhood at a relatively traditional, single cultural environment, and spent their adolescence when Chinese society and culture changed; when they went into the post-modernism culture dominated multicultural environment, their original ideas and value system has been subverted, so they had the psychological crisis of self-identity and started to write it. So post-80s writers which the thesis study include Han Han, Guo Jingming, Zhang Yueran, Zhou Jianing, Xiao Fan, Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Feng, Yan Ge, Huo Yan, Zhang Yiwei Qijinnian, etc. from "new concept essay contest", and Chunshu, SUN Rui, Li Shasha, Di An, Luoluo, etc. from youth literature market, and Wen Zhen, Fu Yuehui, Zheng Xiaolv, etc. from pure literary journals.Thesis focuses on self-identity theme of "post-80s" youth narratives, and discusses the relations between internal and external factors of "post-80s" literature. First, this thesis analyzes the social background of the the growth of "post-80s" and their writing, and then discusses the formation, artistic features, self-identity themes of "post-80s" youth narratives. Secondly, it sorts out the development of self-identity narratives at multiple levels by post-80s writers:rebellion of self-retreat, self reconstruction when the ethical Changes, pursuiting the family identity, and cultural identity in the process of urbanization. As the post-80s writers have focused on the theme of self-identity at different levels, the thesis, and strive to highlight artistic individuality of each representative writer, when exploring the group characteristics. Thirdly, it discusses and reflectes "post-80s" youth narrative value and limitations on the whole. Refection is not intended to negate the meaning and value of self-identy narratives of the post-80s writers, but to evaluate post-80s writers from beyond the era culture, beyond self experience, as well as higher standards. The following is the framework of the thesis:The introduction defines the study object of "post-80s" youth narratives, and clarifys a number of related concepts, points out the significance of the topic, study the existing research achievements. On this basis, it proposes further research methods and ideas.Chapter I discusses the relationship between "post-80s" youth narratives and the cultural changes when China’s entry into post-modernism culture dominated society. For the "post-80s ", it has a dual role. Fist, consumer society and other cultural symptom prompted "post-80s" into self-identity crisis in adolescence; secondly, the culture industry gave their opportunity to write self-identity and give vent to the psychological conflict. Because many "post-80s" writers became famous still in adolescence, the implied author and narrator in their works are also teenagers, not adults or the elderly experiencing the majority of life, having memories of youth. In the narrative feature, "post-80s" youth narratives is a kind of progress, unfinished state, different from the Children’s Perspective, and Bildungsroman. The self-identity themes of "post-80s" youth narratives changed along with the growth of "post-80s" and the different stages of their self-identity crisis.Chapter II analyzes the "rebellion" narratives by the early post-80s writers, believing that this "rebellion" is to criticize Chinese education system and methods in a multicultural environment, along with the trend of self retreation. The "rebellion" of "post-80s" novel is not a simply mental performance of rebellious adolescent, nor is the "patricide" topic that is the performance of a new generation’ psychological growth in literary history. Han Han’s works shows a road from a "bad student" to a person escaping from society, and Triple Gates is the beginning of escape, in latter youth narratives, Han Han created a series of characters of escape from social roles, describing and criticizing society from the marginal perspective. Guo Jingming’ works show his dream of back to childhold. Although child also has his corresponding development of identity crisis, but in contrast, he is growing mainly with the parents, and trying the social role of in games, and he can get more tolerance and love of adults. Guo Jingming writes like child indulging in their emotions, feelings, exaggerating characters’ lonely, sad and touching; while trying to create a "community of friendship" Imagine. It is also self retreat that is a soft, mild rebellion and escape. Chunshu’s "Rebellion" is the most shock. In Beijing Doll and other novels, she lifted the so-called "punk spirit" of rebelling school education and parents, seeking a free, indulgencing life. But she gradually denied punk identity that is her temporary refuge of self. Early "post-80s" writers were strongly influenced by youth literature market, but also opened self-identity narratives of this generation.Chapter III discusses that post-80s writers presented the changes of love ethics and their self adjustment. In "post-80s" real high school life, the love is called "puppy love" and forbidden by the school and parents, and sex is almost synonymous with the fallen. In general, when "post-80s" went into the university campus and gradually to society, they can experience the love and sex. But with the development of market economy and the prevalence of consumerism, "post-80s" found pure love has gone, which they received in childhood, and even high school. In Consumer society traditional ethics had lost, and the concept of freedom love was popular, in fact, sex has become the commercialization and proliferation, and human decay and Eros occurred narrowing. Zhang Yueran, Zhou Jianing, who profoundly portrayed the great changes of Eros in "post-80s", but also tred to explore the self-reconstruction. Zhang Yueran’s early youth narratives depicted a kind of self-sacrifice love by rewritting the "fairy tale" and "complex", to express a strong tradition of love, but affter 2008, she beggan to describe sex without love between men and women in modern city. Zhou Jianing in Back to the South’Years, Desolation City and other works, also changed from the expression of love to desolation heart in city:love of nothingness, family affection disappeared, relations between people becoming cold and utilitarian. Meanwhile, Zhou Jianing and Zhang Yueran were both seeking self-rescue way. Zhou Jianing’s latest novel In Jungle highlighted the female consciousness, and Zhang Yueran short story Home and other works attempted to express the self-reflection and self-rescue of this generation.Chapter IV discusses the different recognition of post-80s writers’ family identity and analyzes Di An’Imagine of the warmth of the Family, Zhang Yiwei’ identition in the reconstituted family after they had "atomic" individual experience. When "post-80s" went into the universities in big city, or studied abroad, they began to live away from family. And they changed the family identition. Post-80s writers from the countryside, such as Li Shasha, began to criticisize family culture, removing the family responsibility, becoming the modern individual of economic independence. In contrast, Yan Ge, Di An, who had experienced homesickness and loneliness of "atomic" individual in the post-modern city, began to imagine and tell storys of family life. Di An focused mainly on youth pursueing pure love and self-perfection, and women who do their best to chase the dream, achievements. But her Dragon trilogy novels Xi Jue, Dongni, Nanyin, telling the story of cousins in Zheng family in northern city Dragon, trying to show family affection, to a certain extent, reflected the tendency that "post-80s" tryed to relive family life and have family identity. And Zhang Yiwei’fiction showed self-identity in restructured family, and growth of the modern individual from the performance of a resentment, sad to tolerant, rational, which has positive significance in contemporary society.Chapter V describes cultural identition of post-80s writers when China promoting urbanization and cultural globalization coming. When "post-80s" left university campus, became the "new citizon", they entered the "post-youth" period of age and physical, but still had cultural identity issues. That is mainly due to urban culture overwhelm the rural culture after the rapid development of urbanization, materialism, consumerism. On the other hand, the development of Internet-based new media, made the expansion of global capital, causing cultural globalization taking over national culture, local culture. "Post-80s" has received rural culture, traditional culture, folk culture, local culture in childhood and adolescence, and they had to change culture identity when they entered the big cities that postmodern culture dominated. Wen Zhen and other post-80s writersdescribed cultural identity process of the ’new citizen’, from losing themselves, becoming sick to identifying with the city culture. Yan Ge is on behalf of another case of cultural identity of "post-80s", who experienced the life in big city, even abroad, of postmodern culture, returned to life in folk culture, local culture, telled the story of small town life. And Fu Yuehui’novels showed the typical cultural identity of "post-80s" from country into the big cities, as a cultural wanderer between urban and country.Chapter VI discusses meaning and limitations of self-identity narratives bypost-80s writers. Generally, "post-80s" self-identity narratives include two basic characteristics:First, the presentation of real psychological conflict. Secondly, to fight the history by literary way, that is post-modern society and its culture. Therefore, youth narratives have high literary value and significance. First, "post-80s" youth narratives depict the "post-80s" generation suffering psychological transformation, lighting on the back of the economic development and material success. Secondly, "post-80s" youth narratives emphasised on individual experience, reflecting the difficult formation of modern individual in today cultural atmosphere. Again, the resolution of young people’s self-identity crisis depends on the resolution of social crisis, "post-80s" self-identity narratives is to ask questions, and is good for solving the social crisis. However, the "post-80s" youth narratives’limitation is also very significant. They focused on self-expression and didn’t reflecting deep social reality. And their mental state is a compromise and temporary psychological balance, and far away from the "national spirits" that is the goal of contemporary China’s thought. Then, the limitations of post-80s writers’thoughts also caused the dilemma of their narrative arts. One is emotional and rhetoric tendency; the other is lack of thought and breakage of symbolic meaning when some post-80s writers tried to create a symbol structure. From the development signs of "post-80s" creation, they are both trying to break the original subjects and themes, but also enriching and deepening the youth narratives.The conclusion emphasizes that "post-80s" youth narratives should be studied in the field of pure literary and its value and standards, should not be pushed to the field of popular literature because of its market background, and pointes that post-80s writers is important part of the heritage of literary tradition and the development of pure literature.