The Study Of Death Narration In Modern Chinese Novels

Modern Chinese literature originated in the crisis-ridden nation at the beginning of twentieth century when passive modernity manifested itself as intellectuals'awakening of self-consciousness.Therefore,modern Chinese fiction from the very beginning were overshadowed by death,time anxiety and survival anxiety.The choice of the theme of death is a conscious commitment of modern Chinese fiction,for the understanding of life and death,intensified individual consciousness and individual life altogether constitute a prominent mark of modernity which distinguishes modern Chinese literature from traditional Chinese literature.Focusing on the death narrative in modern Chinese fiction,this thesis contains the following parts:Chapter One serves as a survey of death narrative in modern Chinese fiction mainly by means of external literature criticism in the historical context,with emphasis on various patterns of death narrative and evolving theme of death due to modern writers'different perceptions of death.Chapter Two focuses on death as a recuring motif in modern Chinese fiction and the writers'spiritual pursuit.Modern writers'creation psychology and textual interaction are studied in this chapter in order to explore by method of causal interaction certificate how modern writers achieved the rational transcendence of death narrative and self-redemption.Narrative theories of Todorov and Genette being employed,Chapter Three is dedicated to artistic forms:shifts of narrative perspective,structural patterns of death narrative and features of narrative discourse.Death in literature turns out to be the narrative motivation and logic power embodied in the aesthetic experiment and contribution in terms of narrative person and structure.Chapter Four discusses the aesthetic style of death narrative in modern Chinese fiction.The difference in aesthetic tastes and personal experiences of modern writers leads to the diversity of aesthetic style in modern death narrative.The beauty of violence,of moderation,of tragedy and of sublime altogether account for the aesthetic style of death narrative in modern Chinese fiction,while death narrative of the Liberated Areas novels in political context shows a weakening aesthetic function as its distinctiveness.Analyzed in Chapter Five is the cultural metaphor of death narrative in modern Chinese fiction.Textual scrutinization is done in order to expound the close interrelationship between unique images such as iron house,home and wilderness and Chinese community,Chinese traditional culture and the spiritual plight of intellectuals.Moreover,the depth of cultural psychology of modern writers is expressed through funeral customs in death narrative which can not only relieve individual's trauma but also reflect human faith,specific cultural values and the historical connotation of reverence for life.A lot of folk writings expand modern novels' aesthetic space of death narrative.The final chapter reaches a conclusion.Since death is an eternal motif in the art of literature,more aesthetic attempts have been made in death writing from 1980s to 1990s,manifesting again the literary significance of death writing of modern Chinese fiction----the modern aesthetic orientation of "man's literature".In fact,modern novels pay adequate attention to individual existence through death narrative,and it is the pursuing and discovery of lost individuals that represent the essence and value of modern fiction since May 4th.