Study On Chinese Ethnographic Novels Since The 1990s

Ethnography novel study is a new branch of the literary anthropology. The reason why to study ethnographic novels is that it is a research based on such a popular literary phenomenon and practice in novel writing since the 90s as well as a new study based on the intertextuality between ethnography and literary.Since the 1960s, anthropologists have been reflecting the scientificiity in the field of study. They have disclosed and proved that there exist some subjective and literary descriptions in ethnography. In interpretative Anthropology, Clifford Geertz points out that once culture is presented as a meaningful system, it cannot be described objectively. Such a point may also be found in Writing Culture and "Experimental" Ethnography of the 1980s, and poetic and cultural Anthropology as well. Ethnographer may adopt narrative techniques and characterizations in novel writing to present some human facts, psychic conditions and their inner meanings. As a result, it is probable to treat ethnography as literary text to criticize and analyze. Ethnography and literature are quite similar not only in narration but in the knowledge of the truth of the objects. The intertextuality between ethnography and literary text is not a new term, which makes the interdisciplinary research of anthropology and literature very popular. With the development of Chinese present day literature, literature directs its attention to anthropology, which evokes new literature theories, on the one hand, and on the other hand, has also made ethnographic novels very popular since the 1990s. Therefore, it is a new field of research as well as a new academic direction to study the intertextuality between ethnology and literary text in Chinese ethnographic novels since the 90s.This thesis mainly consists of three parts, introduction, the main body and conclusion.Introduction; Why and How to Study Ethnographic NovelsSince the characteristics of literature and anthropology are those of both interpretive humanities and positive social science, we need to find a new methodology to study Chinese present day literature. As to how to study ethnographic novels, the present author puts forward three aspects:(1) the intertextuality between ethnography and literary as the basic theory (2) ethnographic novels as the texts to criticize (3) the construction of the mode of literary criticism in ethnographic novels. In addition, the present author surveys the current study situation, its significance and the key issues.The main body comprises 4 chapters. In this part, the present author surveys the theories about ethnographic novels and then makes an analysis and a summary; meanwhile, the present author also interprets some texts from the aspect of ethnographic novel criticism and constructs the mode of criticism.Chapter One:The Rise of Ethnographic Novels and the Source of TheoriesIn this chapter, the present author elaborates the connotation of ethnographic fiction and surveys Chinese ethnographic novels since 1990s. The first part discusses the theories of ethnographic fiction in the interdisciplinary research of anthropology and literature, indicating that the basis of the theories is the intertextuality between ethnography and fiction. The second part surveys such a literary phenomenon in a new period, pointing out the differences between ethnographic fiction and fictional ethnography, and, furthermore, interpreting the connotation of ethnographic fiction. The third part analyzes the reason why Chinese ethnographic novels have sprung up since 1990s.Chapter Two:Ethnic Historical Writing and Ethnographic NovelsIn this chapter, the present author criticizes ethnographic novels based on the fact that novelistic writing is fused into ethnic historical writing. Part one discusses that Zhang Cheng-zhi writes his A History of the Soul in two directions:one is that it concentrates on a religious spirit---- Jahriya, and in this sense it is a history of ethnic soul; the other is that it combines historic materials with "historical fields" and mixes the writer’s imagination, judgment and analysis. Part two elaborates how A History of the Soul melts heroism and historical imagination so that it links history, literature and anthropology together. However, as an ethnographic novel, in spite of its strong religious identity, there exists some cultural discrimination in it. Part three analyzes the properties of the historical ethnographic writing in Zhao Yugong’s Walking Marriages and Descendants of Yan and Yellow Emperors. The former story represents the social life of the matriarchal society in Yangshao culture period; the latter is an ethnographic novel about the formation of the Chinese nation. Both of the two novels explore the roots of the Chinese national culture. Part four resurveys all the above-mentioned novels in the pattern of New Period historical fiction, pointing out that, actually, they present a new style of historical ethnographic fiction and new achievements in historical fiction, which include, firstly, how to combine history with anthropology, writing from the angle of historical anthropology; secondly, historical ethnographic fiction stresses the history of human beings, especially about how historical circumstances effects human’s mentality or national cultural spirit; thirdly, it is about the writing mode of historical ethnography.Chapter Three:Ethnic Cultural Memories and Ethnographic NovelsIn this chapter, from the angle of poetic ethnography, the present author criticizes ethnographic novels, especially frontier novels describing the ethnic culture. Part one points out one of characteristics of frontier novels is that such ethnographic novels record ethic culture memories. Part two analyzes literary memories about Evenki culture, the dream of nationality and the concern on humanity in Right Bank of the Argun by Chi Zijian. Part three discusses the relationship between mythology and ethnic memories in The Last Witch Song by Fang Qi, which literarily presents Xiajiang Tujia culture. Part four explores nostalgia emotions and cultural reflections in ethnographic novels.Chapter Four; Cognitive Anthropology and New Ethnographic NovelsIn this chapter, the present author criticizes new ethnographic novels from the angle of cognitive anthropology. Part one points out, the field of cognitive anthropology focuses on the study of the relation between language, culture and cognition, including the relation between culture and human psyche and behavior patterns, so new ethnographic novels differs from traditional ones for the latter emphasizes description of cultural material and social life. Part two, from the viewpoint of cognitive anthropology, interprets the characteristics of A Dictionary of Maqiao by Han Shaogong, a new ethnographic novel. Part three indicates, in A Dictionary of Maqiao, the writer exposes real life and history from a perspective of a literary enlightenment writer, and his concern on humanity as well. Part four points out that "minority" and "marginal man" are not the only writing objects in ethnographic novels. Then, from the point of view of cognitive anthropology, it analyzes how industrial society shapes psyche, behavior and culture patterns of migrant workers in Dictionary:Southern industrial life by Xiao Xiangfeng, and the relationship between local knowledge and geocultural psychology in Local Knowledge by Huo Xiangjie. Moreover, it discusses how to make knowledge and literature organically combined in ethnologic fiction.Conclusion:Construction and Transcendence of National CharacterIn this chapter, the present author explores how to construct national character of New Period Literature. Part one looks back into history and reflects the construction of national character. Part two elaborates how to construct natural character in literature is neither to conform or revive traditions, nor to imitate or transplant foreign literature, but to reconstruct one under the interaction of multi-cultural factors, that is to say, to make a new understanding of national culture traditions based on transcultural study, rejecting the dross and assimilating the essence so as to write common culture essence in national literature. Part three discusses gains and losses in the practice of construction. Part four points out the great significance of ethnographic fiction in the course of construction:(1) with the presentation of "local knowledge", local colorism melts with constructive postmodernism; (2) in the interpretation of "local knowledge", common culture essence is discovered; (3) from the aspect of methodology, a model is provided in the construction.