| With the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the term people (Special character omitted) became a central concept in a new form of social organization. The creation of a "people's nation" would have social, political, and historical ramifications that continue to influence the perception of the relationship between the Chinese citizenry and the state. This study analyzes the body of culture known as "people's literature" to show how earlier conceptions of the popular informed the production of a literature and culture of the people. After an exploration of the use of the term "people" I show how both pre-modern and Republican literary and cultural traditions---including rural culture, middle-brow popular fiction, and modern mass culture---influence and were re-conceptualized in the composition of people's literature. The intersection of traditional culture and revolutionary narratives, and the implications for the representation of gender and class formed by their mutual influence, comprises a main object of analysis. The merging of pre-revolutionary literary traditions and ideological themes such as women's liberation often results in dynamic works of literature, and it is a goal of this study to provide a new appreciation of these complex texts that can seem so simple upon cursory perusal.; People's literature is a vibrant body of culture. While it is true that it remained under careful state control, it is characterized by formal experimentation, a dual focus on education and entertainment, and an exploration of new roles for both male and female citizens of new China. Authors, artists, and filmmakers brought a passion to their work that derived from their belief that they were developing not only a new literature, but actually molding a new Chinese citizenry. This dissertation gives readers a more complete understanding of twentieth-century Chinese culture, refraining the debate over the value of literature produced in Maoist China by providing an interpretive framework that can account for both the political limitations on authors, and also their agency in negotiating those limitations to produce original creative works. |
