Construction Of The Other And Illumination Of The Self

Each country or nation has its own description of an exotic image in communication and development.An exotic image not only delivers the understanding and imagination of a foreign country,but also functions as a mirror,from which self-image can be reflected.To a certain extent,the statement of "the other" also states "the self." Guo Moruo,a great master with decent accomplishments in the history of modern literature,traveled to Japan for further study with his resolution of serving the country.As the backbone of the second generation scholars studying in Japan,Guo described what he saw and felt in Japan in his works.From the perspective of imagology,the image of Japan constructed by Guo,as the literary expression and representation of the country’s reality in a specific historical period,conveys the writer’s own unique understanding and feelings and contains the Chinese nation’s cognition of the Japanese “others” and its collective unconsciousness.Thus,in the complex historical context of Sino-Japanese relations,how did Guo describe and construct the image of Japan? What kind of self-image is contained behind these Japanese images?How did Guo balance Chinese and Japanese cultures facing powerful and prosperous Japan? Therefore,an panorama of Guo’s image of Japan and an analysis of its rich connotation are mainly discussed here.Based on his long-term Japanese life experience,the various Japanese images created by Guo Moruo are vivid and complex,which can be grouped into four types of Japanese images: female,male,social,and landscape.Based on the internal research theory of Pageaux’s imagology,from the perspective of vocabulary,hierarchical relationship and story plot,this paper finds Guo made the expression "virgin red" a term in his works as it is frequently used in shaping the image of Japanese girls which showed Japanese girls’ beauties,meekness and shyness.In the repeated narration,the term "virgin red" is endowed with the dual attributes of nature and culture,and becomes a part of Japanese female stereotype.At the same time,any confrontation between “the self” and “the other” will result in a hierarchical relationship.The landscape narration in Guo’s works implies the hierarchy relations in two countries.The vulgar description of humanistic landscape of “the other” contrasts with the magnificence of landscape of“the self”.From the perspective of the story plot,Guo Moruo constructs a love story between a Chinese student and an exotic girl in text,and this story often ends in vain for different reasons.This kind of programmed narrative way has been also seen in the writings of other creative society writers,and become a narrative pattern recognized by the public.Actually,the self-consciousness hidden behind “the other” can be examined from the coexistence relations between “the self” and “the other”.The image of Japan constructed by Guo Moruo is not only a simple retelling and description of “the other”,but also a projection of “the self” in an exotic culture.On the one hand,Guo’s writing of Japanese women is still difficult to loosen the grip of classical literature tradition and male centralism,and exotic women are still presented as the carriers of the expression of his male discourse power.In Guo Moruo’s novels,the narration of romance between Chinese students and Japanese girls doesn’t stress the love story itself.Instead,it focuses on how he eased the discrimination of "the self" as an identity of a weak nation,being recognized by "the other" a Japanese girl so as to elevate the position of "the self".This kind of love pattern written in the form of "national allegory" expresses that being humiliated in an exotic culture,Guo wants to get rid of unequal relations in reality and realize self national victory.On the other hand,Guo’s landscape narrative presents the dual complexity of the self and other landscape.And the landscape,as a “potential writing” of national identity and cultural memory,illuminates the uncertainty and ambiguity of Guo Moruo’s national identity.The image of Japan constructed by Guo Moruo is the product of negotiation between local culture and exotic culture.Its vivid and complex Japanese images not only illuminates the obscure of Guo Moruo’s national identity,but also shows Guo Moruo’s cultural consciousness.