On Diana Chang’s Theme Of Anxiety In The Frontiers Of Love

Diana Chang, as a Chinese American writer, was first known to the reading public with her first novel The Frontiers of Love, which is about three Eurasians’ anxiety at the close of the World War Ⅱ. On its first publication in1956, it soon became a bestseller and was regarded as the first Chinese American novel. Her short stories have been widely anthologized while her novels have not been given due critical attention both at home and abroad.Based on detailed textual analysis and the philosophy of existentialism, this paper aimed at the thematic and stylistic exploration of Diana Chang’s anxiety in The Frontiers of Love, hoping to broaden and enrich readers’vision on Diana Chang and her works. Enlightened by the theory of the anxiety, the author of this thesis focuses on the different anxiety forms of the three main characters and tries to figure out the reasons and ways out of their anxiety. Through this analysis, the thesis proves that the characters’anxiety presented in the novel also threatens Diana Chang which will enable readers to have a better understanding of Diana Chang’s anxiety as a Chinese American and as a writer.The thesis is mainly composed of six parts. Chapter one gives a brief introduction of Diana Chang’s life, works and the critical reception of her works both at home and abroad. Based on textual analysis and Paul Tillich’s anxiety theory, the second chapter focuses on the presentation of anxieties of the three main characters in the novel and chapter three reveals the reasons for the anxiety. This chapter focuses on how the social background that is the war and the uncertainty and ambivalent relationships are together to lead the anxiety in the novel. Chapter four, based on Frank’s meaningful life theory, elaborates on the three main characters’way of escaping from anxiety. A biographical study of the author, Diana Chang will be given in the fifth chapter. This chapter also demonstrated that Diana Chang’s anxiety as a Chinese American as well as a writer contributes to her preference towards anxiety themes, psycho-narration and poetic writing. The last chapter concludes the thesis generally and points out the implications and limitations of this thesis.