Historical Dimension In Literary Narrative-Study Of Yan Geling’s China Writings

New Historicism has both revises the opinions of Old Historicism’s “Historical determinism” and Formalism’s “View of splitting literature and history”.New Historicism reexamines the relationship between past and present,history and literature as well as regards history as “a text that is interpretatively inspired by the continuity and fragmentation of contemporary times”.So it emphasizes the "intertextuality" between literature and history also holds that there exists a tension structure which confirms and exemplifies each other.There is a close cultural network relationship between literature and history,it believes.Yan Geling,who has so many similarities with the concepts of New Historicism,has also written a variety of historical novels that embody the characteristics of New Historicism.In her works,Yan Geling often begin with polyphonic narration in overlapping narrative space-time.Basing on folk positions,she writes about the daily life and anecdotes that the grand narrative ignores and hides.Hence the silent historical events can emerge from the ground and we can touch on those more specific,vivid and realistic histories.On the one hand,her historical narratives shift the focus of attention from the nation,society,and other large collectives to individual life experiences,which subjectifies the objective history.On the other hand,whlie towarding the marginal ideology of history and literature,her novels focus on describing the tangled passions of marginal characters as well as photographing the diverse and complicated living landscapes on the historical borders.So that she could highlight the poetry and beauty of history.Yan Geling’s historical narratives which reflects the merits of New Historicism have been deep influenced by her status as a immigrant writer.The proper aesthetic distance of “keeping apart but not afar”,softhearted menories of motherland and the cultural context that entangles eastern culture with western’ are the significant factors which not only help shape her special historical novels,but also endow her works with a profound sense of rational reflection,a strong personal perspective on history,and exceptionally rich historical understandings.From the discussion of the relation between literature and history,we can get to know the significances and importances of historical literatures.Historical literatures are importantcommunication bridges which allow us to have positive communications and interactions with the past and to find the present meanings of history.Moreover,they are the paths that construct an “understandable history” in a contemporary context.“Embracing history” is the inherent responsibility and mission of literature as an aesthetic ideology also its necessity to return to the“literary nature”.At the same time,historical literatures reflects the literary endeavours to explore the laws of group society evolution and the mysteries of humanity in the tension structure of historical rationality and humanistic care.And those efforts represent literatures’ consciously undertaking and actively promoting its social function and value.