The Academic Highlands In The Study Of Eileen Chang

"Obsession with China", the viewpoint by Xia Zhiqing, is the summary of the spirit of modern Chinese literature. "Cultivation of one's moral character; regulation of one's family; administration of the nation" is the traditional Chinese male officials'values and ideals. Also, modern Chinese writers still cling to the same "family and nation" concept as the enlightenment awareness and the mission of history, even as their own values and ideals and cultural pursuit. The "obsession with China" spirit whose core is the enlightenment value has become a significant spiritual tradition of modern Chinese literature. Generational Chinese writers have contributed their wisdom and power on this way of great convention.Eileen Chang's novel collection, "Legend" was published in Shanghai in 1944. At that time, the nation suffered the crisis and all the people endeavored to resist the invasion. Most of the modern writers devoted themselves into the cry for war. Either they revealed the Japanese and traitor's cruel and merciless governing or they inspired the people to have confidence to win the war. Eileen Chang, was outside the trend of literature war against the Japanese, and was immersed in her narration of foreign social life and legendary writing.The foreign social life of Hong Kong and Shanghai, was dominate by money and various material desires. This was the world controlled by money, which penetrated every corner of life and changed people's survival patterns and ethical standards. Some researchers found the heroine's"foreign social character"in Eileen Chang's novel the superposition of material desires and lust.As feminist thought was introduced to China, it was quickly applied to the modern literature research. However, as a modern feminist writer, feminist consciousness in Eileen Chang's work has gradually been paid attention to by the researchers. Li Jikai, believe that in Eileen Chang's novel, it reflects the three forms of female metamorphosis in the era of male domination, namely, enslavement, materialization, and animalization of women. Compared with Li Jikai's article, Lin Xingqian interpreted Eileen Chang's relevant works in more complete and systematic feminist theory to explain the of Eileen Chang. Lin Xingqian thought, that in Eileen Chang's "negative writing" reproduced the real situation of women in the real world.The modernity of city life, entertainment of business society, coexistence of East and West culture, and colonialism of capitalism, constituted Shanghai's "urban structure." It is this complex "urban structure" that created the complicated and pluralistic spiritual tradition of Shanghai culture and literature. Eileen Chang expanded her literary creation in such a spiritual domain, and achieved very splendid literary success. As early as 1989, Mr Yan Jiayan discussed the relationship between Eileen Chang's novels and the new feeling of faction, and the transcendence of Eileen Chang's novels in an article. Mr. Yang Yi's article, published in "Modern Chinese Literature Study Series" was another one to discuss Eileen Chang's works from the literary thought perspective after Mr Yan Jiayan. Although Mr Yang's article reviewed Shanghai literature, he still placed Eileen Chang in the tradition of Shanghai and discussed the features of her novels.."Human literature" and "Individualism human departmentalism," were both on the literature in the social and historical progress, and embodied the "May 4th" new literature rational spirit and value orientation. However, Eileen Chang's value orientation of literary creation, was not measured by the social and historical progress. Eileen Chang utilized her own image of the female characters to resist the personality and the myth of the liberation of women of the "May 4th" new literature.