Historical Consciousness And History Narrative

Historical consciousness and historical narrative discourse of Tang Haoming noval is studied in this thesis. Historical consciousness presents works’character of the times and writer’s main spiritual dimension, which is related to the writer’s creation thinking and narrative logic. The narrative discourse further highlights the ideological and aesthetic intrinsic value of historical consciousness. These constitute the inner logic of this thesis.This thesis is divided into five chapters:Preface:Tang Haoming Novel’s research status and this thesis’s writing thinking.Chapter One:Historical consciousness development. This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part inspected historical consciousness of keywords as "Awe of history, Comprehension of wisdom". It is shown as three aspects of meaning:First, it sorts causality change of late Qing history. Second, it summarizes the wisdom of history which includes two aspects:the success laws and conducting philosophy struggling for meritorious deeds and fame, and the way of mind nature cultivation and moral character. Third, it is awe of history means self-restraint and ethical practice when faced with history, and it’s worthwhile as life attitudes and pursuit of values. However, as an academic point view, it missed certain rationality. The second part, the historic concept of "all history is contemporary history" is elaborated, and the "Contemporariness" and "Owner Spirit" embodied in "Zhang Zhidong" is analyzed. The third part, from "Awe of history, Comprehension of wisdom" to "All history is contemporary history", the author’s history consciousness development is reflected. The former requires historical novelist to retreat inside the depth of history while authoring, and to restore the writing history as much as possible, and to sum up experience, learn wisdom from history. The latter protrudes author’s present experience. Historical research is a "result of all past history", and is a spiritual presence of current reality, too. It cannot be separated from author’s times cultural spirit and the realistic situation."Zeng Guofan" emphasizes on mastery of history change causality arid "history mirror" consciousness."Zhang Zhidong" is more concerned with the exploring real-life meaning and the life philosophy thinking. From reproduce to "rebuild", shows author’s thinking changes from reproduce identity to re-construction identity on traditional culture.Chapter Two:The writing of Late Qing esquire in the context of modern transformation. Esquire writing is the essence of Tang Haoming’s novels. From shaping statues of Clean Esquire, Minister Esquire and Celebrated Esquire to constructing individual cultural personality and writing esquire fate and life vicissitudes, all highlight Tang Haoming’s deep concern for the esquire of Late Qing Dynasty. Clean Esquires are characterized by pedantic upright, loving reputation and sometimes improperly void. Minister Esquires then show the courage to shoulder responsibility, deep consideration but increasing haughtiness with the power growing. Most celebrated Esquires are talented, but think highly themselves. The reality of ambiguous relationship with officialdom cast their contradictory attitude. On one hand, they "talk about dignitary with contempt", on the other hand they are actively running serve for dignitaries, and attempt to achieve their political ideal by attaching these dignitaries. The gap between Clean Esquires, Minister Esquires and Celebrated Esquires reflects internal differentiation of Confucian ethics and esquire’s self-evolution in the modern transition period. The construction of cultural personality as Zeng Guofan, Yang Du and Zhang Zhidong fully embodies the full digging of cultural genes carried by historical characters. Zeng Guofan congregates diverse traditional cultures. Mixing Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism together makes him to achieve "Internal Sage External Kinging" apparently, but it also brings him mental atrophy and spiritual quandary."Blood Character" in "Huxiang Culture" is inculcated to Zeng Guofan and Yang Du the same degree, however, fortitude is expressed on Zeng Guofan, while more self-will and imprudence on Yang Du. Image of Zhang Zhidong shows classic Confucian gentleman personality that is righteousness over benefit, integrity and selflessness, respecting integrity and magnanimous. However, under the lure of scoundrel around him, his moral gradually declines. In addition, deep thinking and interpretation on the fate of Late Qing Dynasty esquires made by Tang Haoming shows fatalistic as well as constantly striving against fate, which reflects the author’s unique insights on life and history, and then his novels aesthetic implication is dignified and profound.Chapter Three:Modernization history narrative. This chapter focuses on exploring the history implication of Tang Haoming’s novels. Narrative in grand theme architecture is an important text feature of20th century historical narrative. Historians attempt to reveal history development "axiom and general example" in narrative by impenetrating complex historical fragments or historical events based on historical origins, development and results conceived by certain thinking clue. Tang Haoming novels narrative constructed by "modern discourse", starting from the "evaluate situation and reason things out", and from emotions, attitude, ethics etc angles, and by means of writing life trajectory of Late Qing Dynasty esquires, comprehensively show their thinking evolution and mentality change in modern practice. Therefore, his works show strong theoretical speculation. However, Due to sometimes too much attention to the historical cause-effect and reasoning narrative structure, Reader’s deeper involvement in history is hindered. The use of daily life narrative, historical tension narrative, cross-reference narrative techniques in Tang Haoming’s novels could describe historical rationalism, melt into humanity temperament and interest greatly at the same time, and add the rich and deep meaning to the novel.Chapter Four:"Literary expression" of history. In this chapter the novels’narrative characteristics is combed from three aspects: cross-stylistic exploration, inter-textual interpretation between "history of human" and "historical Human", and the relationship between elite narrative and mass narrative. Tang Haoming cross-stylistic exploration between history and fiction mainly lies three levels:restore of historical picture, creation of historical atmosphere and writing of historical imagine. He also profoundly interprets the relationship between human and the history using subconscious and psychological description, and plot construction. By restoring image of Cixi, Guangxu to "human", and digging their complex humanity and subtle emotions, historical richness and humanity complexity complementary is presented. In addition, based on a stand of elitist narrative, the conscious alienation and unconscious approach of mass narrative in novels which seems contradictory narrative stand actually reflected intellectuals’embarrassing situations between elite culture and mass culture in the transition period.