Adherence·Escapism·Quest

As two veritably influential writers across the Taiwan Strait, Wang Anyi and the Zhu sisters (Zhu Tianwen and Zhu Tianyi) deserve an intensive comparative study both for their respective distinctiveness, and for their similar family background, personal experiences, and stylistic idiosyncrasy in writing.Based on close study of their canons and following the seminal literary themes of"adherence, escapism, quest", this paper focuses on the four major thrusts of"family, maturity, gender, city", and compares the constituent parts in their writings that share similar themes, trying to research into the differences under similar themes that are brought forth by the discrepancies in society, culture and political regime across the Taiwan Strait. The aim of it points to the disclosing of historical, cultural and human significance hidden behind different texts, and thereby providing a new perspective for writers and critics across the Taiwan Strait.The paper consists of four parts: family writing, maturity writing, gender writing, and city writing.Family writing reveals two generations'quest for"hometown". Setting their fictional father generation in the purposely-chosen revolution period, Wang Anyi and the Zhu sisters unfold the generation's complex of expatriation awareness through their obsessive quest of the really-existing hometown---the Mainland. And individuals personal vicissitudes also reflect the perplexities between the Chinese Communist party and Guomindang Party. Wang Anyi's memory about her"expatriation in the countryside"and the Zhu sisters'experience in the"army dependent villa"turn out to be the central point showing up over and over again in their writings, and these places are really the"archetypal hometown"in their perception. Their attitude towards hometown switches from escapism to regress, which seems to be a very simple mode of"leave and return"but betrays the authors'tiredness with over urbanization in times of social transformation, and their attachment with rural civilization, only that Wang prefers macrocosmic narration from the perspective of politics and history, while the Zhu sisters tend to display their human tenderness in everyday life.Maturity writing in these writers consists of three specific phases: youthhood development, adulthood aging, and philosophical perceptions with death, partaking of vigorous wrestling with time. Youthhood development emphasizes on the differences between growth of male and female. Males tend to win social status and sexual identity through conflict with society and contacts with female, hereby growing into the adult world. Female Bildungsroman, highlighting the role of sisterhood in awakening female consciousness, proves to be special female experience. To Wang Anyi and the Zhu sisters who are already in their prime adulthood, the depiction of"old soul"really betrays their frustration with age, and perplexities with the present age."The old soul"in adults does not point to the real physical dotage, but mental caducity. It turns out it is not history that is being written, but the present that is being lamented. Time consciousness is deeply felt in all these writers'works, and writings are made to oppose the edging effect of time, thus reflecting the unique aestheticism of literature. Wang focuses more on the tension of characters and outside environment, while the Zhu sisters emphasize on the characters'self-introspection.Gender writing displays female consciousness through the living conditions of city women. The paper does not underline their gender awareness in their canons, but try to study the writers'concern with the females'fate on the plane of humanity, unfolding hereby that"escapism and seclusion"are their tragic fate. Meanwhile, the paper affirms the"toughness"seen in women in everyday life, and highlights"the earth mother spirit"of endurance and comprehensiveness, which finds expression in the gay image of"wastelander". Wang prefers writing under traditional context, while the Zhu sisters postmodernist"integration".City writing discloses their wasteland awareness latent in their works in light of"wasteland theory". Writers sympathize with cities, and are concerned with the damaged natural and artificial spectacles in cities, as well as the alienated"new people", concluding that the reconstructed cities cut off from history and culture are merely wasteland built on wasteland. In face of city wasteland, the writers attempt to aesthetically sublimate city spirit through tempering mass humanity. Wang prefers gentle reminding, and the Zhu sisters earnest justification.