Contemporary Fiction, As The Threshold In The "alternative" Writers,

Can Xue is a special figure in literary creation in this new era. However, how do people interpret and understand Can Xue? This is the issue that has puzzled many literary critics as well as readers, and for this reason there has been little research into this female writer, not to mention a comprehensive and three-dimensional study of her works. Consequently, with a passion for literary exploration, the writer chose"A'Special'Writer in the Visual Threshold of Contemporary Novels--- A Study of Can Xue's Novels"as the title of the dissertation, with a purpose of analyzing Can Xue's novels from several dimensions, hoping to find out the particular aesthetic and ideological value in her works. It is also expected that this research should develop and enrich the study of Can Xue's works, and provide a reference for compiling the history of contemporary Chinese literature.Can Xue regards her novels as vertical works, which are characterized by questioning human existence directly. In other words, Can Xue manifests a kind of existence experience through literature. Her literary creation can be called deep creation. The literary form Can Xue uses to depict human experience will be analyzed and discussed from five aspects in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of her deep creation.Chapter One The Connotation of Nightmares in Can Xue's NovelsThis chapter researches the root of nightmares and their historical context, that is the writer's personal experience and character, which is the basis of nightmare novels and the general background of literary creation in the new era. However, Can Xue's literary creation is unique and her nightmare novels have shaken the literary world. The nightmare novels by Can Xue are a kind of"meaningful form". Can Xue takes one's"essence"as her object, based on irrational thinking, with the "nightmare world"as the background of the"essence".Chapter Two An Exploration of the Theme of Existence Experience in Can Xue's NovelsWhat Can Xue concerns in her novels is the exploration of human existence, which is a comprehensive analysis of human nature. There are three aspects. Firstly, a solitary self's refusal to the variant human nature. What Can Xue is different from the other contemporary writers who had also gone through the so-called"Culture Revolution"lies in her irrational narration of the tension and lack of mutual misunderstanding among people. She displays an absurd world via a variant feeling in the hope that her readers come to see the truth when they have noticed the ugly performance of human nature in the variant environment. Secondly, an introspection and self examination. Can Xue gradually focuses on the innermost being, engages in introspection about human existence, and seeks significant basis for human existence. Can Xue's attitude towards human existence is open rather than pessimistic and despairing, and she values the process of seeking for human existing significance. Thirdly, the possibility to surpass oneself. The reason why Can Xue's literary creation is based on introspection and close examination about human existence is that she is not satisfied with her situation. Can Xue attempts to find a way out through depicting some artistic pictures. Therefore, she manifests the theme of existence while facing death through fables.Chapter Three Analyses of Female Characters in Can Xue's NovelsAs a female writer, Can Xue embodies women's ideas unconsciously. However, she distinguishes herself among the female writers in that she avoids the usual mode of literary creation by female writers. With fantastic female experiences and fantasies, Can Xue creates a mysterious inner world, and thus she gets rid of the general way of literary creation in which men's rights are highlighted. There are mainly several kinds of female characters in Can Xue's novels, such as devil mothers, revengeful women, and holy and pure'goddess'. Through the literary creation of these female characters, the male-centered theme and aesthetic taste have been completely overturned and crumbled, and at the same time women's self awareness has been manifested. Can Xue's literary creation of female characters is closely related to her profound thinking about women's awareness of self existence and human existence. Accordingly Can Xue's ideas about women are the mixture of the thinking of women's rights and human existence.Chapter Four A Case Analysis of Can Xue's Novels—Comprehension of'Wuxiang jie'Can Xue devises two entrances to this novel, namely the society of Wuxiangjie and sexual love, through which the writer carries out a deep and valuable exploration on the'existence'of human-beings. First, Can Xue dissects the society of Wuxiangjie and finds that the most conspicuous characteristic of the residents there is being good at performing"the art of keeping a straight face'. She points out that'the art of keeping a straight face'is the representation of hypocrisy—the mismatch of deeds and statements—in Chinese traditional culture. Second, by the depiction of magic X Lady and the reveling society of Wuxiangjie, Can Xue expresses her ideals of art and love.'Wuxiangjie'is the author's conclusion to her works in the early days.'Wuxiangjie'comprehensively shows us the first part of her mind's development. It tells readers how the demon in the box of Pandora lives in Can Xue's mind and how she lets it perform without any effort to conceal it. The author puts the demon into a fight with the'real self'. Through fighting, the evil in the soul is refurbished, the soul is refined, and the anxiety is relieved.Chapter Five Conclusion_ The Significance and PerplexityThis chapter presents a thorough and systematic conclusion to Can Xue's works. Firstly, the strategy of refusing to be mediocre in narration. In the means of strangeness and overthrow of the routine life, the novels criticize and revolt against the thought of daily life in order to restore the principal role of human-beings and to portray the creative and imaginative life. Secondly, the nature of aesthetic'salvation'in narration. The revolt against conformity, social stress, traditional modes of thought, and reality in life is positive. In essence, it enriches the concept of love and enhances the spirit of the ever-lasting inclination to goodness. Lastly, Can Xue's perplexity and limitations. The unique strategy in narration and the profound theme of inquiring the existence of human-beings not only shock the contemporary Chinese literary arena but also shock readers'mind.However, besides praises to the works'courage and impression, there also exist a lot of perplexity and limitations. The followings are the representations. First,'the indifference'of literary receivers. Can Xue applies many techniques of strangeness such as images, symbolization, nightmares to construct a modern allegory; however, the huge disparities among the literary images create certain sense of distance to the contents thus hinder the comprehension and bring about alienation from the literary receivers. Second, isolation of'individual'. Basically, Can Xue begins her works from'individual'. Can Xue's'individual'goes through a course of exploration on mind which is free from entanglements in reality. An individual's awakening, revolt, struggle, confidence and surmounting are exhibited in a closed environment. From its birth, the author's'individual'has displayed a thorough revolt against Chinese traditional culture. Can Xue's choice is dangerous and she may find herself in an isolated position. There are quite a few questions that cannot be easily answered. Chinese traditional culture has its special super-stable construction which can not be changed radically by cultural enlightenment. Therefore, Can Xue's'individual'which is contrary to Chinese traditional culture is inclined to fall into an isolated position. That is a problem Can Xue cannot ignore. With a practical and realistic attitude in academic pursuits and a combination of theoretical and empirical methodology and adequate references to the theories of philosophy, literature and art, psychology and so on, this dissertation presents a comprehensive and deep analysis of Can Xue's novels from the perspective of perception. And it draws conclusions on the basis of objective and scientific study. Some ideas in this dissertation are raised for the first time and their credibility is up to examine. The contrast between Chinese and Western culture in the discussions and research methods is focused on. From points to the whole, this dissertation sorts out the value and significance of Can Xue's novels in contemporary literature.