Literature Studies Modern Perspective

The doctorial dissertation's goal and expectation is to put Zhang Henshui's works in the modern field of vision of 20 century's Chinese culture and literature for the sake of studying it as a whole, to get rid of the long-estabilshed, theoretical restrictions which concentrate on the binary thinking such as modernity and tradition, new and old culture, to enter Zhang Henshui's literary world completely, and to illustrate and expound the unique meanings and values of Zhang Henshui's works as well as its particular meaning in constructing 20 century's Chinese literature .The dissertation is divided into five chapters. The first chapter entitled The Interpretation of Modernity, can be regarded as the theoretical and logical basis of the dissertation. "Modernity" used to be a deconstructive. introspective and critical concept, however, if we change it from a static concept to a dynastic one. it is endowed with a great power of construction and interpretation. On the basis of definition of it's three layers of meaning -"the nature of time", "the nature of times'' and "the nature of value", it considers that modernity is not necessarily embodied as some static, historical particularity, while it is reflected in its subjunctive connotation. That is to say. modernity should be regarded as a kind of consciousness and value that keep up with times. It " lies in the eyes of creative subject'', in its essential meaning, modernity is a kind of historical consciousness and value that is born in its inner subject. The sense of subjectivity forms its most active, historical connotation and value. Based on the meaning, the thesis distinguishes the social modernity's faulting feature with literature modernity's non- faulting feature.The second chapter is The Two Modes of Modernity and Zhang Henshui 's Modern Choice. In modern Chinese cultural and literary history, "modernity" takes on two kinds of forms. One form emphasizes the new idea in value, which is mainly reflected as a kind of "westernizing trend" in modernity norm. The other one makes footing on the native modernity norm with the national tradition characteristics. In the Chinese modernity pursuit, "the May 4th movement" is a marked one, it is the overall outbreak of Chinese modern appeal. However,, because of the anxious psychology caused by thehigh expectation of modernity of people at that special period, "The May 4th" modernity program takes on the feature of "single value", and it results in the anti-tradition trend as a whole for a long period. In literature, it creates a tense relationship between modernity and backwardness, new and old culture, and affects deeply the formation of 20century-literature development. Unlike intellectuals' modernity choices, Zhang Henshui explores another new way of modernity, he stresses the combination of new and old ideas, the blend of the western and Chinese culture. Therefore, his writing possesses an open feature with the combination of the two elements above. Compared with 's writers. Zhang Henshui "s novel is a perfect reflection of popular literature's modernity mode.The third chapter is Zhang Henshui Novels' Motif Modernity. Unlike other writers' works in his period. Zhang Henshui's modern popular novels writing has a different choice and pursuit. In order to avoid the singularity in ideology, He tries to present the desire, justice and value of China's urban social groups in the whole meaning. In a sense, by exploiting folk-description, Zhang Henshui succeeds in forming and manifesting a complete, typical Chinese picture at a transitional period. Zhang Henshui's novels possess an evident populace consciousness, showing the desires of democracy, equality and freedom in civilian society. As far as the enlightenment is concerned. Zhang Henshui reveals his new thought towards it. His popular novels are the combination of enlightenment and popularity, which corrects the deviation between the relationship of enlightenment and popularity to a certain extent, and it shows a new-civilian enlightenment thought.The f...