Era, Individuals And The Main Value Of Hard Choices

In the 20^th Century Chinese Literature, Mao Dun is a complex literary creation subject. This essay discussed the "contradiction" of Mao Dun's fiction in two aspects.First, in Mao Dun's novels, there are both the rational writing of Chinese modernization and humanist contemplation transcending his times. Mao Dun not only believed the modern revolution advancement but also walked from the time mirage. Through the psychology of characters, he exquisitely depicted life oppression in modern society. In fact, it is achieved through comprehensive integration of the May 4th literary tradition and Western realistic spirit. Finally, the "lonely spiritual individual" distant from modern ethic appeared in his novels. Both "the time female" in Eclipse (shi) and the Wu Sunfu image in Midnight (ziye) disclosed the ridiculous existence of the modern individuals.Second, this essay also focus on the issue that how did Mao Dun associated politics with humanist contemplation perfectly in his novels. Besides various non-literary reason since 1930s, especially after the publication of Midnight (ziye), we can also acquaint the conversion towards external value, which is the consequence of the development of the concept of individual . In "Autumn Leaf Red As February Flower" (shuangye hong si eryue hua) written in 1940s, this kind of life paradox is expressed by the upward observation of the greatness and freedom of the life itself in the commitment to the common life. It represents a trend of modern Chinese literature in the 1940s.