Homeland Nostalgia

This thesis attempts to apply the theory of Diaspora Criticism to compare the two novels Happiness written by Jia Pingwa and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy and to analyze the homeland nostalgia of the four protagonists the two authors revealed in these two novels.Both of the novels are created during a period of social transformation and depict among them the protagonists who have or once left their homelands and all have a strong sense of homeland nostalgia while pursuing their life outside. Liu Gaoxing and Wufu in Happiness choose to leave their rural hometown for Xi'an city with dreams and longs for the beautiful city life in their hearts when the tide of urbanization is influencing and changing the original lifestyle of Qingfeng County. However, only after they have stayed, and struggled in the city do they eventually realize the attraction of their homeland. As for Clym Yeobright and Eustacia Vye in The Return of the Native, the former has once lived in Paris for many years and finally returns to the heath where he was born after knowing what he really wants, while the latter, who was born in relatively prosperous Budmouth, lived on the heath after her parents'death and dreams of leaving it for cities like Paris.Under the perspective of diaspora Criticism, this thesis analyzes in detail the homeland nostalgia of the four protagonists and probes into the possible reasons why both Jia Pingwa and Thomas Hardy simultaneously explore such kind of theme in their novels, namely, their identities as diasporas themselves, the great changes the society encounters at the epoch of social transformation and the pursuit of a spiritual homeland aroused by people's spiritual emptiness during social transformation periods.The comparative study of these two novels set in different cultural backgrounds reveals the fact that during the period of social transformation, people, regardless of their nationalities, are all wandering in a state of spiritual emptiness and pursuing a spiritual homeland and that faced with great changes during the peculiar ages, people should adjust themselves to the new circumstances, otherwise they have to suffer, sacrifice and even perish under the wheels of the times for failing to be the fittest ones.