On The Border Consciousness In Raymond Williams’s Welsh Trilogy

Raymond Henry Williams has been defined as one of the most famous Marxist literature critics,but he was also an important novelist.Although Williams’ s theoretical achievements and academical status have been commonly accepted by the academic circle,his novels are not seriously considered,which is not in accordance with his actual identity.In fact,novels have taken an inseparable role in Williams’ s whole works,and he devoted a great amount of time and energy in writing novels.Throughout Williams’ s whole life,he created seven novels in all.And its representative “Welsh Trilogy” includes Border Country,Second Generation,and The Fight for Manod.As an organic unity,the Trilogy possessed the same writing background and thematic thoughts taking border consciousness as the major thread.In real life,there is a unique border-line in Williams’ s family background,growing environment and life experience.A rich but complex kind of border consciousness is implied in his research objects,theoretical methods and academic origins.And a series of social behaviors,political activities,literary critiques and creations have become a broad platform for the practical application of his border consciousness.In literary practices,there is a strong sense of border characteristics in both the writing background and artistic forms of Williams’ s novels.And the border consciousness of his thematic thoughts is fully displayed and well interpreted via the main characters’ life experience and mental feelings.Williams’ s novels embodied the particular border consciousness of the author.And the “Welsh Trilogy” presented the full view of industrialized British society,reflecting the real life and inner world of the “border man” and the intellectual immigrants in modern society.In general,the novels emphasized the identity crisis,emotional conflicts and moral confusion of the main characters or the two intellectual “border man” from three dimensions of geographical border,psychological border and ethical border.They fully displayed Williams’ s conscious process of reflection on the modernity symptoms,such as social disorder,cultural breakage,psychological conflicts and moral degradation inside the working class community.And they also represented the author’s re-examination of his own bordering position.In narrative genres,Williams’ s novels broke through the border between social novels and individual novels.In artistic styles,the novels crossed over the border between realism and modernism,moving towards a higher level of “neo-realism”.In plots arrangements,the “Welsh Trilogy” underwent time and space movement of the places transgressing borders from the dimensions of physical time and geographical space.Namely,the trips between country in the past and city at present in Border Country,the retrospect of country in the past from the city at present in Second Generation,the prospect of new city from the present country in The Fight for Manod.By the way of organizing the plots and describing the characters’ behaviors,the novels depicted the typical images of “border man”,and revealed Williams’ s distinctive border consciousness and complex feelings.They also demonstrated the anxiety and confusion in the aspects of identity,feelings and morality faced by the intellectual “border man”.In the narrative structures,the border consciousness in“Welsh Trilogy” can be shown as follows.At first,the flashbacks crossed the time and space borders between past and present,country and city.Secondly,the shifts of narrative angles between first-person and third-person broke through the borders between self and others,individual and society.Then,the continuity of narrative tenses crossed the time border among past,present and future.At last,the border consciousness in the aspect of artistic techniques can be demonstrated with the aid of language organization and rhetorical devices applied.In summary,border consciousness was not only embodied in Williams’ s family background,living environment and social experience,but also fully interpreted in his creative practice and theoretical works.Border consciousness generally exists in the thematic thoughts and artistic forms of “Welsh Trilogy” with certain kind of aesthetic values,theoretical values and realistic significance.The border consciousness in Williams’ s novels provides us with a new perspective to know ourselves and re-examine the relationship among self,others,and society.And it will be of great realistic meanings for us to fully understand the border between past and present,country and city,individual and society,self and others.By taking border consciousness as the theme and perspectives to analyse Williams’ s creative thoughts and artistic characteristics,it will be helpful to supplement the academical deficiency and neglect for domestic study on Williams’ s novels,to promote the communication,acceptance and influence of his novels at home,and also be useful to break away from the traditional binary way of thinking and metaphysical logic,to cross the academical borders and step towards the reconciliation of disciplines.