Study On The Novels Of Wu Area In The Late Qing

Shanghai is the issue that a Late-Qing novel researcher is unlikely to lose sightof, but playing attention to the single region does not approach a clear understandingof the transformation process of Late Qing novels. If Shanghai could be embedded inWu Area, and observed dynamically rather than isolated, then Suzhou, which wasalso a novel center in the Late Ming, must not be ignored. Moreover, the decline ofSuzhou and the rise of Shanghai are almost simultaneous. What this suggests is thatthe process from the old novel center of Wu area to the new one is far from a simplecompetition or substitute. Essentially, it’s more likely a special evolution and shiftunder the background of China’s social transformation. Suzhou and Shanghai, as thetypical two cities in the Wu area, can reveal the novel’s diachronic literarydevelopment, as well as reflect the synchronic modern transformation of Wu area’snovels in varying degrees, and thus may offer a new idea and perspective for thestudy of regional culture and Late Qing novels. This thesis takes the history of LateQing novels as the background, the comparison of the “Double cities”--Suzhou andShanghai--as the cutting point, and the transition of the regional culture tradition asthe reference, to provide a more comprehensive and objective interpretation andevaluation of these novels’ transformation process and cultural implication. The thesis is composed of six parts besides the prolegomenon and theconclusion.Chapter1discusses the shift of Late-Qing novel center in Wu area. There hadbeen two novel centers in Wu area, one is Suzhou, and the other is Shanghai.Shanghai in the Late Qing was tend to be paid more attention by researchers; whileSuzhou, unfortunately, was ignored. But in fact, for Late Qing Shanghai, to be thenovel center seems more like a corollary to the center shift of inner Wu area, than afoster of western culture. The decline of Suzhou in the Late Qing was deeplyinvolved in the loss of advantages in economy, culture, talent and publishing, as wellas the shifts of resources, which helped to create the new novel center-Shanghai.Chapter2analyzes the content change of novels of Wu area in the Late Qing.The shift of regional center not only changed the novels’ creation and spreadenvironment from the exterior, but also propelled the shift of their narration focusfrom the interior. The general tendency is shifting from Yangzhou and Suzhou toShanghai, and then from the old walled county seat of Shanghai to the InternationalSettlement. Even in the inner region of International Settlement, there was a regionalshift, too. As a result, Shanghai Novel separated from Wu area novels and formt anew literary tradition, that is, Shanghai style novel.Chapter3takes a focus on the unique narrative theme of the novels, which is called “the country folk going up to towns”. As a narrative factor, it was common inclassical literature, just being a part or an episode. It was not exist in the novel as anarrative theme until Shanghai became the regional center in Wu area. Its meaning, tobe simple, is “hai shang fan hua meng”, that is, to experience flourishing Shanghailike in a dream. The theme can be put into two words,“lost” and “return”. And theinner force is urban and rural dualistic structure under the background of China’ssocial transformation.Chapter4compares the cultural differences between Suzhou and Shanghai in theLate Qing, and the unique novel features of each. The chapters above mainlyelaborate the novel’s diachronic literary development, this chapter, from a synchronicangle, deals with the distinctive tendency, which is brought about by differences ofnatural and cultural environments between the two centers in Wu area. As a result ofthe tendency, this area appears two city cultures, one is “pleasure-boat culture”, andthe other is “carriage culture”. They stand for the two cities’ differences such asregional landscapes, life styles and so on. Moreover, they result in different narrativecontents and narrative styles of Suzhou Novel and Shanghai Novel. To some extent,they’re not only cultural traditions, but also literary traditions.Chapter5probes into the two cities’ different processes of moderntransformation. In one hand, there were modern factors in traditional Suzhou, which seemed like a copy of Shanghai pattern. On the other hand, there were traditionalfactors in modern Shanghai, which was a kind of preservation of Suzhou culture. Inthis sense, the two cities are isomorphic. However, looking more closely at thetransformation degree, Suzhou is far behind Shanghai in modernity, which promptedSuzhou people to reflect on their own cultural tradition, but the receptive process wasso slow, because of profound traditional culture, that the modernity was more likelyan exhibition of modern landscape and infiltration of modern life style.Chapter6takes Wang Tao and Bao Tianxiao for example, trying to establish thetransitional novels in the influence of both region and times. This chapter attempts toecho Chapter1and confirm the chapters above. Take region into account, both WangTao and Bao Tianxiao came from traditional Suzhou to modern Shanghai.Considering their times, one stepped into the Late Qing while the other stepped out;this made them the best witnesses of the changes in Wu area. Both of themexperienced the literature revolution happened in the new cultural space of Late-QingShanghai, and carried the signature of the new literary genres that mixed with noveland mass media as well as news report. Besides, their writings revealed a few featuresthat closely linked to Shanghai’s sphere, such as urbanization, commercialization andmodernization. At the same time, they also remained traditional gene as Suzhoupeople. In a word, thanks to the similar culture tradition and the different times, the two transitional figures could map out the tortuous process of the novels’ moderntransformation.