Charles Chesnutt(1858-1932)is one of the most influential African American writers in the late 19th and early 20th century American literary world,best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South.His first autobiographical narrative novel,Mandy Oxendine,was not published until1997,as Chesnutt boldly attempted the “passing” theme and touched on the most sensitive racial field of white people,and so far no one has studied it in China.This thesis intends to start from the perspective of autobiographical narrative characteristics,and at the same time,combine the typical characteristics of “authenticity” as realism and the creative techniques of “fictionality” as modernism to cut into the study of Mandy Oxendine.With The Journals of Charles W.Chesnutt edited by Richard Brodhead as a reference to Chesnutt’s real life,on the one hand,this thesis tries to explore how Chesnutt sublimated real life experiences into fictional literary works,and then studies the interactive effect of the author’s use of authenticity and fictionality narrative techniques in the text,so as to inject new research content into the domestic Chesnutt and African American autobiographical narrative research;on the other hand,by carefully reading and analyzing the text,the dilemma of mulattoes in the context of racial and gender discrimination in terms of self-determination,“passing for white” or “identifying with black”,triggers readers to reflect on racial relations in today’s globalized environment.Besides,it has some positive significance in revealing the racial history of the late 19th century,tearing apart the historical truth behind the so-called freedom and equality in the United States,and promoting racial equality among different colors.The introduction mainly introduces Charles Chesnutt and Mandy Oxendine,as well as the current research status of them in China and abroad,briefly combs the relevant theories of autobiographical narrative,and points out the main research significance and originality of this thesis.The main body of the thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter focuses on examining the essential expression of “authenticity” as realism in the autobiographical narrative novel Mandy Oxendine,and explores the extent to which Chesnutt retains factual truth and the significance of preserving truth from two perspectives:personal experience and historical narrative.The second chapter mainly analyzes the“fictionality” as modernism in the work,starting from four aspects: psychological complication,dialogue dramatization,rhetorical diversification,and narrative focalization,it explores how the author elevates reality into a fictional work and its fictional creative intention.The third chapter discusses the interactive effect of combining authenticity and fictionality in the autobiographical narrative Mandy Oxendine.Chesnutt integrates reality and fiction,history and imagination,realizing the construction of his self-identity,highlighting the aesthetic taste of content and form,and fulfilling his purpose of moral criticism.Finally,the conclusion summarizes the literary value of these two main characteristics of “authenticity” and “fictionality” in the autobiographical narrative Mandy Oxendine.It also points out that the novel has broken through the limitations of the era in both creative concepts and expression forms,presenting a transition from realism to modernism.And Chesnutt’s emphasis on fiction over reality will be the development direction of future autobiographical narrative literature. |