On The Artist Images In The Chinese Contemporary Novels (1978-2012)

The research object of this thesis,"the artist image" in the novel, is discussed as one kind of unique literary figure. The reasons are that the artist is unique as the human spirit specimens, and the relationship between the writer and the artist image is unique. The writers create the artist images, which can reflect the spirit of the artist images and the writers, directly or indirectly.The writer creates the artist image, which need the expression power of controlling the art world and the penetration power of anatomizing artists. The research of the artist images in novels can discover some problems about phenomenology of artist’s spirit and art genesis, and extend the research of the writer. This is theoretical significance of the thesis. There are some novels about the artist in the contemporary literary, which generally presents the change of the artist and writer’s aesthetic spirit in social transformation since1978, as times sensors. This is practical significance of the thesis.The thesis has combined interpretation of text with theoretical analysis, and analyzed the artist images which have disease of the time or spirit and rich personality. The thesis has discussed mainly three questions which include identity anxiety of artist images in social transition, mental paradox of artist images under art double-edged sword, and the possibility of art redemption to artists. The thesis was divided into four chapters.Chapter one " identity anxiety of artist images in social transition ", will inspect identity of artist images. Identity anxiety includes artists’identity being shielded in ultra-leftist thought, identity changing in the marketing era because of starvation and desire, the Eastern or Western imagination under the context of globalization, and creation anxiety. Identity anxiety of artist images released the writer’s own crisis of identity, the wish of constructing identity.Chapter two "mental paradox of artist images under art double-edged sword " will focus on art disease of artists, including the sick, the demonic and the hophead, which is mainly caused by the connection between the art and artist. The sick caused by art emphasizes the artist’s spirit is changed by artistic enlightenment, so that they lose their orientations. For example, some artist images in novels were lost or conscious of the incompleteness of reality because of artistic enlightenment. The mental disease of the demonic is caused by love and passion about art, the art complex or cruel passion. For example, some artist images in novels swing between the flying and stability like pendulum, meet the paradox of passion about art, or the paradox of the true and the good. The hophead refers to some poets who seek beauty, but turn to vice. There are progressive relationships among the sick, the demonic and the hophead.Chapter three " the possibility of art redemption to artists ".Both identity anxiety and mental paradox of artist images are connected with writers’self-identity, self-consciousness and self-actualization. For the artists, the key to solving the artist’s spiritual way out is the art itself. The question, the possibility of art redemption to artists, is contemporary and ontological. The writers’ stopping writing in novels and the mental paradox of artist images under art double-edged sword have questioned the possibility of art redemption to artists. Why the art can rescue the other but not the artist? Why art sometime is the artist’s medicine, but sometime becomes poison? Maybe the possibilities of art include both positive role and negative influence. This is the artist’s paradox. To the artist, art is both redemption to artists and a double-edged sword. Of course, the question, the possibility of art redemption to artists, can not only be answered by some artist images under art double-edged sword in novels. To be sure, many roads can get to freedom, philosophy, religion, or art. Art only provides one of possibilities. To the artist, the path and way to freedom should not point to external ultimate value, but should be turned to the inner world, transcend and explore yourself. Perhaps, the artist may not be able to reach the realm of freedom, but he can construct the possibility of arriving. Possibility means freedom. This is precisely the possibility of art or the art means possibility.Chapter four will focus on different ways of shaping characters, enchanting and disenchanting, constructing and deconstructing. Finally, the thesis argues that these artist images are the spirit specimens reflecting the contemporary cultural, ideological, aesthetic changes. To contemporary writers, these artist images have two narrative functions and aesthetic significance which are alternative therapies and spiritual perspective.