A Comparative Study Of Fatherhood Narrative In Chinese And American Film Literatures

Through the relevant literature review in a multi-dimensional way,this dissertation finds that the research on the father image and father narrative of film literature is in the ascendant,then defines the important concepts of fatherhood,fatherhood narrative,and traces the theoretical source of masculinity and film literature,then explains the standard of the research blueprint selection and the historical division,and points out that the literary characteristics of film and the comparative discipline,the theoretical basis of film literature research have been recognized by the mainstream academic circles;the target of film literature research is the shown film rather than the screenplay.The film is revolutionary,comprehensive,and interdisciplinary beyond the traditional carrier form of literature and art,the openness of related research must be respected.The film is not only an artistic work but also a literary work.The literariness and the disciplinary basis of film literature are recognized by mainstream scholars at home and abroad;The purpose of using the term "film literature" in this dissertation is to emphasize the literary perspective of this study in response to some dissent.Relying on vivid narrative language and stronger narrative tension,the film has greater realistic thinking and prominent social education function.In addition,the film has various forms and themes,multi-modal expression methods have stronger aesthetic penetration,the appreciation way is easier for the people,and the validity of cultural communication is better.Therefore,the audience of the film is broad,and its influence is greater and greater.Film literature has become a new research field that cannot be ignored.Father is the most common character and the main narrative participant in the film literature.Modern education ideas generally believe the father is an important guiding force in the growth of children.Especially in the civilized society characterized by paternal inheritance,the fatherhood behind the father has great significance in human development.In recent years,the works of “father narrative”have achieved remarkable market and social effects both in China and the United States.Therefore,the film production and film literature study in China and the United States should follow the active building of a positive mother image and motherhood,to shape a vivid and positive father image,deeply excavate the fatherhood,build the spiritual core of the works infecting people,and enhance the acceptance and social enlightenment value of the works through “fatherhood narrative”.But unfortunately,this is not the case in practice;relevant topics have not been discussed positively,seriously,and systematically in the study.Starting from the theoretical perspectives of multimodality,body narrative,imagology,and field theory,this dissertation makes a comparative analysis of the changes,characteristics,similarities and differences,causes,significance,and future of fatherhood narrative and father image shaping in Chinese film literature and American film literature in five obvious periods.Although it is far from full depiction and excavation the fatherhood in the era of silent film and short film,under the influence of the times,it shows the characteristics of “anti-father” in Chinese and French film literatures,and “father respect” in British and American film literatures in the early stage of development.In the mature development period of films in the two countries(1930-1950),Chinese film literature tends to portray the image of the father in a negative and mosaic way,while American film literature mostly uses three-dimensional and positive methods.Under a similar theme of resistance,Chinese film literature intended to take the father as the only critical target of the traditional family,while the “anti-father” technique and the narrative theme of “betraying the family” lack an effective supporting relationship,which would also lead to the tragic end of “fatherless growth”.In the same period,the theme of the struggle in American film literature mainly pointed to the “betraying the modern society”,the father would rather act as the guide and spiritual pillar to lead this struggle.After entering the independent presentation period of the fatherhood narrative in Chinese and American film literatures(1950-1980),American film literature began to actively depict the fathers of ethnic groups after the detour of the“fatherless narrative”,while Chinese film literature went further on the road of“fatherless narrative”.Due to the special political environment,the father is often regarded as the spokesman of China’s feudal family and the symbol of the patriarchal oppression of women,thus the ruthlessness of patriarchy often overshadows the kind of fatherhood,paving the way for the tide of “fatherless narrative” in the next stage.Through the typical analysis of the film adaptation cases of two classic literary works with high comparability,Village Prostitute and The Age of Innocence,it can be seen that one of the key factors in the “failure” or “success” of the two films is whether they inherit the typical fatherhood narrative of the originals.In the same period,Chinese films entered a dilemma from prosperity,which became one of the decisive times backgrounds of introducing excellent American films in 1994.This extreme “fatherless narrative” not only represents the “anti-father” thinking and the“extreme feminist perspective”,but also has the characteristics of “traditional culture judging ugliness”,which has brought a great negative impact on Chinese film and television in the 21 st century.Chinese film reform and the large-scale entry of American excellent films into China have typical backgrounds,and the new changes occurred in the fatherhood narrative,especially Chinese and American animation literatures share some differences.American film literature is committed to telling inspirational stories of the younger generation’s growth leap under fatherhood guidance,and deeply exploring the guidance of fatherhood.The “fatherless narrative”of Chinese film literature is the visual reflection of the “fatherless growth” in reality.The lack of attention and prejudice toward the meaning of fatherhood reflected on the screen is a “fatherless narrative”.After 2012,Chinese and American film literatures began to focus on the excavation of fatherhood in the social field and the significance of fatherhood to children’s growth.Chinese and American film literatures explore the narrative topics of “growth dilemma”,“fatherhood healing” and “fatherhood meaning”in the plot of “fatherless growth”,which has improved the spiritual appeal and educational value of the works.The performance of such works has made a great achievement,while Chinese animated films still lag behind.The differences between Chinese and American film literatures on the topic of“fatherhood narrative” are affected by the historical factors such as the culture of“respecting mother and concealing father” and matriarchy in Chinese traditional society,and the western culture of “father respect”.It is also related to many practical factors,such as the era trend of cultural “insecurity” and “self-confidence” in two countries at the beginning of the film development,the decline of father status in modern Chinese society,the residue of matriarchal culture in southern China,the“feminist perspective” of Chinese directors and the neutral gender perspective of American directors,deconstructive thinking towards constructive thinking.In recent years,the the other-gaze of American film literature,the Sino American co-productions represented by Ang Lee’s works,the new cognition of father and fatherhood,the proposition of self-confidence in Chinese culture,the positive evaluation of Chinese traditional culture,and other factors have promoted the transformation of Chinese film literature from “fatherless narrative” to “fatherhood narrative”,and has made remarkable achievements in recent years.The fatherhood narrative matches the new orientation of China’s current cultural policy and film and television supervision.It has a good prospect in acceptance and cultural communication and still needs to be further improved.Generally speaking,the fatherhood narrative and father image shaping of Chinese and American film literature are mainly carried out in three fields: family,ethnic group,and society,which reflect obvious horizontal differences and times changes.Under the superposition of various factors of history and reality,the positive spiritual significance of fatherhood in Chinese film literature is weakly explored and limited to the family field.It is keener to depict the father through stereotypes and even vilification.The guiding value of fatherhood for individual growth has not been effectively responded to,and the relationship between father and children is generally disharmonious.On the whole,it reflects the orientation of a “fatherless narrative” to eliminate fatherhood.In contrast,American film literature usually uses a constructive way to effectively integrate multiple modes for “father respect” depiction,pays more attention to the ethnic groups and social fields,focuses on showing the solid capital and good habits behind the father,and tends to fully build the father as a positive force to guide younger generation’s growth.American film literature often constantly explores the fatherhood behind the father,rising from simple audio-visual entertainment to a higher level of spiritual perception It responds to the audience’s aesthetic expectation of fatherhood,and achieves significant market and social effects.This experience is worthy of reference by Chinese film production circles and film literature critics.“Fatherless narrative” is the result of the extreme amplification and distortion of the factor of “respecting the mother and concealing the father” in the special period.The tendency of Chinese film literature to expand,absolutize,and extreme the patriarchal color of the fathers does not accord with the factors of Chinese traditional culture and the mainstream values of the world.To a large extent,they cater to the“ugly judgment” of Westerners on traditional Chinese culture,which has obvious limitations and extremeness of the times.It is also often accompanied by the disagreement with the paternal history and civilization,which would lead to the times’ station of historical nihilism and cultural insecurity with negative cognition of traditional culture,It has a strong synchronization with the decline of Chinese films in the late 20 th century.Compared with the disadvantages brought by the “fatherless narrative” and the experience of world film,including Chinese and the American,the “fatherhood narrative” is more in line with the mainstream values of family harmony,father respect,deep feeling between father and children,and the general aesthetics of the audience.Chinese film production and film literature critics need to objectively and scientifically explore the fatherhood point of Chinese traditional cultural resources,pay more attention to the multiple significance and connotative value of the“fatherhood narrative”,correct the stereotyped description of the image of the father,and construct the spiritual core of the works through “fatherhood narrative”.This is also of positive significance for improving the aesthetic appeal and acceptance of the works,highlighting the value of social education,promoting a confident understanding of Chinese traditional culture and civilization,deeply excavating the traditional ethics and ethics of “family standard”,and promoting the Chinese cultural communication through film and television.