The Study Of "the Upsurge Of Shen Congwen" In American Sinology

Shen Congwen is an important writer in the history of modern Chinese literature.Since Xia Zhiqing,the research on Shen Congwen in the American Sinology circle has formed a certain scale and produced a lot of results.The starting point of this paper is why Shen Congwen gets continuous attention in the American Sinology circle.In addition,sinologists on the other side of the ocean wrote that Shen Congwen’s research also presents a different appearance from that in China.American sinologists lived in a political and cultural environment different from that of Chinese mainland and received academic training in Western critical theories.Therefore,there are some differences between their studies on Shen Congwen and those of Chinese mainland scholars.The American sinology circle began to pay attention to Shen Congwen from Xia Zhiqing,and later,the research achievements of Jeffrey C.Kinkley,Nie Hualing and David Der-wei Wang were also widely concerned and affirmed by the academic circle.They live in the United States,and their research is not valued by the mainstream academic circles in the United States.At the same time,compared with the mainstream research of the academic circles in China,they are also in the marginal situation for a long time.The double marginal situation and wandering experience bring different perspectives to their research.Undeniably,Shen Congwen’s ambiguous political attitude gives researchers more space to speak.The self-description of "countryman" and the transition from writer to cultural relic are often discussed topics in Shen Congwen’s research.American sinologists have also made explanations on these topics,and also reflected the scholar’s own stance on speech.Shen Congwen is often regarded by domestic critics as a "stylist" with "no thought".Even when dealing with the military subject which can be deeply analyzed,Shen Congwen has no intention to explore its practical significance.Sinologists trained in western academic theories have endowed Shen Congwen with new literary historical value and political significance in their exploration and interpretation of modernity in his works.