| Duanmu Hongliang (1912--1996), whose original name was Cao Hanwen, was born in Siluhu Cun, Changtu Xian in Liaoning Province. Starting from his first novel, Ke'rqinqi caoyuan (The Korchin Banner Plains), a strong sense of self-consciousness had already been embodied in Duanmu's literary world. In his later works, varied means had been employed to demonstrate how he pursued self-reflection and self-expectation in his life. During the period of 1930s and 1940s, Duanmu Hongliang had come through a series of notable events---the collapse of "hometown" and "family," the struggles between the crevices of "new" and "old," the exploration of the road to "epoch," as well as the loss of romance. In these experiences, one found nothing but the quests of self-fulfillment and the hereafter melancholy out of disappointments in different situations. All these factors had determined the content and style of the works of Duanmu Hongliang.;The purpose of this dissertation is to employ the concept of "self-construction" as a tool to give a comprehensive look at the ideas of "self-search" and "self-analysis" as appeared in the novels of Duanmu between 1929 to 1949. The whole dissertation will be divided into four main aspects---"family inspection," "enlightened development," "epoch explorer" and "lost romance." In terms of methodology, this dissertation takes reference to the conceptual framework of "self" in the studies of psychology. In addition, the western principles of how to differentiate the literary genres of "bildungsroman" and "initiation story" have been employed. Based on these ideas, this dissertation gives a thorough study of how Duanmu Hongliang selects his life experiences and memories in his works. More importantly, this dissertation desires to study how Duanmu adds his own imagination to his works as well as how he reinterprets or even rewrites his stories on the basis of real life experience. Apart from the above, this dissertation examines how Duanmu's dreams and his insights towards life are enshrouded in his novels, and explores the gap between the ideal world and the down-to-earth reality as expressed in Duanmu's works. By considering the interactions between the literary works and the life of the author, it is hoped that not only can this dissertation give a sophisticated study of the works of Duanmu, but also present an all-embracing angle to demonstrate the complexity and depth of the character of Duanmu Hongliang. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
