A Narrative Study Of "Intellectuals’Home-Returning" In Novels Since 1990s

In the history of Chinese modern and contemporary literature,the narrative of "Intellectuals’ home-returning" starts from Lu Xun’s "Hometown",which carries the enlightened intellectuals’ reflection on the relationship between themselves and the countryside.Although there is also the cultural "nostalgia" of vagabonds in traditional poems,it is more about the thinking of real life and the worry about the fate of the nation.After returning home,the intellectuals left again,which declared the spiritual predicament of the enlighteners and the disillusionment of their hometown.This narrative mode of home-returning(leaving,returning and leaving again)has been continuously inherited and developed in the novel texts of different times,thus forming a classic literary narrative tradition.Since the 1990 s,the narrative of "Intellectuals’ home-returning" in the novel not only continues this literary tradition,but also develops a new cultural connotation in the new historical context.From the perspective of narrative plot mode,the narrative of "Intellectuals’ home-returning" in the novels since 1990 s can be divided into two categories: active returning home and passive returning home,which are divided according to the situation of returning home of the main characters of rural intellectuals.Among them,those who have a stable living and development space in the city often return to their hometown actively.There are two situations in them: migrant birds’ returning to their hometown and dream-seeking’s returning to their hometown.On the contrary,the intellectuals who have lost their living and development space in cities are mostly passive returners.After returning home,they will either be disappointed with the reality and run away;or they will be unable to retreat,wronged and stay temporarily.Through these plot patterns,we can see the current situation of the rural intellectuals and their emotional attitude and value position towards their hometown under the changes of the times.From the perspective of narrative theme,the narrative of "Intellectuals’ home-returning" in the novels since the 1990 s has a very deep exploration in the two aspects of the intellectuals’ thinking about self-identity and the intellectuals’ emotional attitude towards the real countryside.The works closely related to the dual identities of "son of the earth" and intellectuals at the same time,fully demonstrated some contradictions and embarrassments they inevitably encountered after returning to their hometown,the wandering struggle between modern and traditional life,as well as the identity crisis caused by their ownership of self-identity.At the same time,it also fully shows their strong anxiety and critical consciousness in the face of the defeated local civilization and rural politics in reality.It reveals some essence of the relationship between the intellectuals and the countryside in the new era context,that is,the countryside no longer has the sanctity of "origin" and the ability of "healing".The return of the intellectuals is more out of the shackles of a kind of family ethics,or the disappointment of reality,and turns to the imagination and pursuit of an ideal home.As a whole,the narrative of " Intellectuals’ home-returning " in the novels since 1990 s has important realistic critical significance and literary value in showing the current situation of rural China and investigating the relationship between contemporary intellectuals and the countryside.But there are also some limitations,such as the strong subjective position of the narrative intellectuals,the lack of thorough analysis of the current rural problems,the relatively single way of expression,etc.,which need to be further improved in terms of ideology and artistic techniques.