Uncovering The Hidden History---A Study Of The March From The Perspective Of Postmodernism

E. L. Doctorow is a distinguished American writer who has many master pieces concerning America?s development and ordinary people?s life. He has written twelve novels to construct his imagination of the American history from the American Civil War to the contemporary society. The March is one of his historical fictions published in 2005, depicting General Sherman?s march to devastate the South at the end of the American Civil War. Different from official historical writings, The March imagines the American Civil War with its focus on the ordinary people?s stories which are ignored by the historians.Focusing on the events and people that have significant influence on the social progress, the official historical writings ignore ordinary people?s experience and feelings towards the same historical event at the same time. According to postmodern novelists, history is composed by everyone in it. Historical writings could adopt literary creation to reveal the enshrouded figures and stories.This thesis attempts to probe into Doctorow?s imagination of the hidden stories which have not been recorded in history during Sherman?s march through analyzing the conflicts and tension between the accepted history and The March. From the perspective of postmodernism, this thesis analyzes the ignored individuals? sufferings and struggle for freedom and equity when they are involved in the historical trend. The March reveals the Northern army?s instability and the uprooted Southern Civilization, and imagines the establishment of the cultural heritage. It queries the grand history by depicting the Northern army?s instability. By displaying the black and women?s subversion of the male dominant power and pursuit for freedom and equity, it also reveals the decline of slavery and the evaporation of Myths of Southern Womanhood to imagine the Southern history in the march. The American Civil War could be regarded as a cultural heritage for the marginalized people, reflecting people?s preliminary exploration of racial and female issues. It indicates that history is much more complicated than our records and imagination.