The Folk Factors In Modern Chinese Novels

The real demarcation of Chinese culture between elite and civilian must begin with the New Culture Movement (around the time of the May4th Movement in1919) which put forward the slogan" wholesale westernization". Since then western theory has held principal part in cultural field, which pull in opposite directions heterogeneously with the native culture. It is similar to Chinese classical civilization with cultural compatibility and cultural integrity. Both of them reflect the character of simplex culture.In modern China, however, the situation is far more complex. On one hand, the utilitarianism of the new intellectuals in culture for the purpose of strengthening state makes western ideology and culture become popular to be introduced and studied. On the other hand, the society in which the new intellectuals grow up is still a traditional society, and there is hardly dramatic change in the social structure of the society. Whether in the length of time or the breadth of space, the life of the new intellectuals whose life has deeply rooted in the compatibility of traditional culture since childhood is surrounded by civilian every now and then. Thus, the involvement of folk factors in fiction creation is different from either classical age or the New Culture Movement. We can find multiple applications of Chinese folktale types in many modern novels and how folk interest affect intellectuals about the imagination of national state and the understanding of the Western World.In a manner of speaking, Chinese folk culture is a part of entire culture with an isomorphism relation with elite culture, but on the other hand, it inevitably contains the character different from elite and authority for its freedom and original nature itself. Its expression approach and value pursuit has formed disagreement or even potential confrontation against elite and official culture. So the entry into the modern fiction affected by different sides of folk culture, the application of civil resources by the new intellectuals consciously or unconsciously, as well as the synchronic show along with western culture, certainly will bring a rich cultural connotation and a multiple significance dimension in modern fiction. In the view of its performance, it is no less than a dialogue between Chinese and Western culture inside the writing. The spread and generative process in new culture and new folk of modern fiction inundated with the cultural dialogue has exerted an influence that cannot be ignored. It has reflected the complicated mentality of countrymen hovering between tradition and modern and has recorded the track of evolution of thoughts during the transformation period. Therefrom, we can get a glimpse of another path of Chinese traditional culture transforming into modern one and thus understand the meaning and influence of local culture and national culture in the construction of national modern spirit.This paper makes corresponding research on following several aspects in how folk factors have affect modern fiction.First, the typology research method of folk literature is used for reference to inspect the modern fiction.In the field of folk literature research, stories of the same or similar plots are often classified as one type. As the simple structure and the less plot unit of folk tales, a core plot unit often becomes the flag of the type of the story. Although modern fictions are created by literary intellectuals, the artistic construction of the novel are weakened against literator creation in past dynasties because of the urgent psychology and writing style of publicity and enlightenment, presenting a kind of linearity and simplicity of thought connotation and a simplicity of the novel structure. And because of the writing psychology of fawning on fashion, ethos of copycat prevailed in the writing of modern novel, which caused the similarity of different texts in content and subject. This makes it possible to use the typology research method to analyze and refine the plot unit. From Chapter One to Chapter Three of the paper, some plot units of traditional folk tales which are often used in modern fictions, such as "the Land of Peach Blossoms","Dreams" and "Magical treasure", are extracted to analyze the cultural information and cultural psychology they each contain and deliver under the background of the new era and revolutionary context of literature.Second, the manifestation of folk banter factors in Chinese modern fiction is studied.The inheritance and manifestation of Chinese traditional banter pattern in modern comical fiction, as well as the meaning of its forming process in new city and folk are specifically discussed.On the basis of the above two studies, three levels about the folk factors in the modern novel are proposed. The first, in intellectuals’pursuit of the new nation-state and cultural construction, which part of the folk factors in the modern novel is rewritten, which one is rejected, and which one is carried forward; which of new cultural and ideological elements mature with its help, whereas which political and cultural intention are subverted and destroyed potentially. The second, the reason why the folk factors in modern fiction can spread widely in the majority of ordinary people is the modern media. In the interaction between authors and readers in market operation, we know which part of civil resource are repeatedly applied, and what cultural mentality is of ordinary people in a transition period, and its effect on the formation of the new civil, and how it engages in dialogue with the new intellectuals’ modern concept. The third, from the development of literature itself, how the folk factors, especially the narrative style and the narrative strategy have affected and participated in the formation of the new literature is studied.