Success Is Rooted In Local Flavor

This paper attempts to explore the connotation of regional culture in Mr. Jian Xian'ai's short novel creation and analyze the relationship between literature and culture in his works, mainly from the following three perspectives:Subject Matter: Mr. Jian Xian'ai is apt at selecting elements with distinctive local flavor as the subject matter for his novels, featuring regional cultural traces of his hometown ranging from natural landscape, social system, to personalities and mental state of his characters. His novels not only reflect the historical and cultural realities of Guizhou's nature and society in modern times, but display the natural and humanistic environment in high mountains of Guizhou before the founding of the P.R.C. in 1949 as a kaleidoscope with various paintings of scenery, folk customs and characters. This clearly shows that literature can reflect regional culture. To draw on local resources for literature creation can not only enrich content of literary works, but help record cultural phenomenon. The local color revealed by the subject matters in his novels embodies the explicit influence of regional culture on literature.Theme, or concept and spirit literary works tend to convey: Mr. Jian Xian'ai's novels feature a steadfast commitment to right values, a kind of consistent characteristics formed under the great influence of regional culture. Such a theme or concept is underlined at two stages, namely "Adhering to enlightenment" and "Fighting against Japanese aggression and for national salvation", with the humanistic principle "right values" emphasized by the concept of "art for people" penetrating all of his works. Such a commitment, such a literary spirit, has the root in his personality formed with the influence of his hometown and of the regional culture—The mountains endowed him with a steadfast and pioneering character, while the position as cultural marginalizer taught him to ceaselessly strive along. However, the value orientation on social utilitarianism reflected by the theme in his novels, to some extent, injures the depth and philosophical level of thought, especially exerting certain negative impacts on the aesthetic effects of his later works. It can be seen that selection and consistency of literary theme reflects the implicit influences of regional culture.Style: Factors, such as natural landform, folk customs and dialects, will exert imperceptible influences on the author, and thus help shape his peculiar personality and temperament. As a result, regional culture is internalized as the author's aesthetic orientation, and the author, under such influences, depicts everything in his style, with special "local" flavor between the lines of his works. To sum up, various features, including the simple style, exquisite description and personalized language, fully indicate the subtle influences of regional culture on creation subject.This paper, with an effort to interpret Mr. Jian Xian'ai's literary works from the perspective of regional culture, highlights human beings' seeking for and reliance on "spiritual home", and their great courage in enduring hardship and suffering.