Shen From The Global Perspective, And Faulkner,

By employing the globalization theory, the doctoral dissertation aims at the comparative study on the two influential writers in the world- the Chinese writer Shen Congwen and the American writer WilliamFaulkner , who were active in the early half period of twentieth century's literary circles. The reason why the dissertation puts the two writers in the globalization context lies in the fact that the theory has the features of grandness, openness, and inclusiveness.To be more concrete, the dissertation carries on the comparative study from the following the three aspects which derive from the globalization theory: localization, postmoderity and ecology.The first chapter focuses on the localization angle to analyze the unique features of the regional and national cultures expressed by Shen Congwen and Faulkner in their creation of "the Xiangxi world" and "Yaknapatafa area". In regards to regional culture, Shen Congwen and Faulkner presented respectively the Chinese southern "Chu Wu culture" and American southern "noble culture". Shen Congwen was fascinated with the "Chu Wu culture", which is filled with God-worship, romance and strong life color, and he attempts to revive the vigor of the "Chu Wu culture" in against with the stubborn "Han Ru culture". While Faulkner holds a dialectical attitude towards the American southern "noble culture". On the one hand, he values the ancient morals in southern culture such as "courage"," pride", "sympathy", "justice" and "freedom", on the other hand, he realizes the anti-human moral crisis lay in the slavery-based southern "nobel culture". Therefore, Faulkner concentrates more on the exposure of the paternal system, women moral value and racial system in the southern culture, and regards these elements leads to the dissolve of the south. Despite Shencongwen and Faulkner present two different kinds of cultures, as great humane writers, they launch then- common attack on the alienated forces against humanity and appeal for the freedom of humankind As far as the national culture is concerned, Shen Congwen was strongly influenced by the Chinese traditional concept "the affinity between man and nature" while Faulkner's belief in "individual value" was the product of the western traditional culture, especially that of the American culture.The second chapter puts Shencongwen and Faulkner in the postmodernity theory scope of vision. It includes three parts: Firstly: "the anti-modernity attitude".Shencongwen and Faulkner lived in a period when the modern civilization developed and became the dominant force in constructing society. However, the two writers not only keep alert eyes, but also hold critical attitude towards the modern civilization. They keenly observe the depression of the modern instrumental ration towards mankind and express their doubts and critical questioning on modernity. No doubts it reflects a postmodernity attitude. Secondly: "speaking for the rights of the people on the edged culture". Postmodernism asserts the deconstruction of the authority and underlines diversity, therefore the theory shows its concern for the culture on the edge. While in Shen Conwen and Faulkners' works, we see the people who live in the fringe of society- "the Miao people"and "the black people" respectively, become the main characters of their novels. These people have long been ignored and prejudiced by the mainstream culture, nevertheless, Shencongwen and Faulkner appeal for the rights for them by manifesting their special fates; their ignored emotion and life and their unique spiritual resources. Thirdly, unexpectedness and uncertainty, the two postmodenity elements become the outstanding features in the two writers' works. We see in Shencongwen's novels, there is an atmosphere of predestination, and unexpectedness like an unexpected visitor frequently pays a visit to his novels, and leads to the reversion of the characters' fates. While Faulkner's works have a unique feature of uncertainty, and his novels shows a kind of open characteristic by avoiding imposing an authoritative v...