The Paradox Of Li Zicheng

In1957, Yao xueyin started the writing of Li zicheng secretly. The novel of Chapter4and5was finally finished until the death of Yao in1999. The creation of such work took42years. Adding the conception phase, the preparation and creation of the work just stretched over the important phases of China’s literature development. Due to the change of times, the conception of the author also changed complicatedly. The different parts of Li zicheng do carried the significant marks of times. The5-chapter-novel Li zicheng does not has a completed system of narration because of the complex conceptions of the author. In the practical creation, the paradox can be found in many places. In this paper, the discussion of such paradox mainly focus on3aspects of the conception, the character creation, the structure of the novel.In the introduction, the research history, meaning and perspective are illustrated briefly. For the convenience of discussion, the conception of paradox is introduced here.The chapter one is consisted of2parts. The paradox is discussed from the aspects of creation view and history view. In the part of creation view, the discourse system of binary opposition is analyzed under the influence of revolutionary realism. Because of the author’s subjective requirement of faith to the reality, the complicated phenomena which is beyond the system of binary opposition is presented. And the complicated phenomena clears up such system. In the part two, the creation theory is class struggle, composite views of history and the conflicts that exist in the novel are also formed by the composite views of history.In the chapter two, the paradox of character creation is analyzed.3characters of Li Zicheng, Chong Zhen, Li Yan are selected as the case study of character image. The character creation of Li Zicheng can reflect the author’s doubtness to the nature of peasant’s war. And Chong Zhen, whom Yao put the sympathy on, is not considered as the feudalism emperor completely. And Li Yan reflects the author’s thinking to subjects of intellectual’s remoulding.The paradox discussed in the chapter three is on the aspect of structure. In the first part of this chapter, the structure of comedy and tragedy coexist and are against with each other. To a great extent, the essence of revolutionary realism is romanticism, so the front part of the novel immerses in the optimistic mood while the latter part of the novel is more focused on the pessimistic writing which is concerned by the author so that the conflict of tragicomedy is formed on its structure. The second part mainly discusses the contradiction between the conflict of classes and the conflict of nationalities.