A Study Of The Images Of China From Pearl Buck,Bill Porter To Peter Hessler

In American literature,there are abundant and diverse images of China that are recorded during different periods.Most of the reasons for the differences of the images are the periods when the access to transportation was underdeveloped and the world was not well connected.Most Americans did not go to China to find out how China was like,but based on the images of China including Chinese people,scenery,stories,etc.,through the words or texts from those missionaries who had once went to China.Those words and texts later turned into travel notes,proses and novels that were categorized as parts of American literature.As time goes by,native American writers learn about China and Chinese through various channels,and portray the images of China in their eyes into their literary works.Among them,some writers learn about China through others' literature,mass media,etc.,while others have had experiences in China,or gone to China in person to explore Chinese culture they long for,and put the images of China in their eyes into words in their works.Given the topic and length of writing,this thesis selects three native American writers who have had a long-term Chinese life experience and their masterpieces to research on: Pearl Buck,Bill Porter and Peter Hessler.In addition,imagologie in comparative literature is selected as the theoretical framework to study on the images of China in their literary works.This thesis consists of five parts.In Introduction,first,the author introduces the literary theory of imagologie in comparative literature,sorting out its development process,and elaborating on three concepts applicable in this thesis: stereotype,comprehensiveness,and projection;second,literature review shows the connections between imagologie and images of China;third,the author elaborates purposes and significance of this research.From Chapter One to Chapter Three,Pearl S.Buck,Bill Porter and Peter Hessler and their works are respectively researched on.In each chapter,the author focuses on each writer's relationships with China,the images of China in their works and changes of the images before and after the certain periods.In Conclusion,the author draws three conclusions as the end of the thesis from the perspective of changes of the images and stereotypes,projection as well as introspection and solutions.The thesis aims to make some contributions to the study on the theory and application of imagologie and its practical significance.The author hopes that through the images of China in Pearl Buck,Bill Porter and Peter Hessler from the perspective of the American,on the one hand,it may be conducive for American readers to have reflection on the themselves and the US.On the other hand,reviewing the changes of the images,it may be helpful for Chinese to reflect on the past,take actions at present and look forward to the future.