The Other Kind Of Modernity

This thesis aims to interpret Shen Congwen's marginality and it's substance in his works from the perspective of modernity. In the context of urbanization, severing from the tradition and uplifting the elite consciousness, Shen Congwen's works showed the marginality which alienated from the mainstream of his era. Nevertheless, this marginal writing actually embodied Shen Congwen's particular reflection as a modern intellectual.Shen Congwen revealed the ignorance of the country worriedly while delineating it's poetic beauty with devotion. Moreover, the Xiangxi world in his works was not real being but a result of conceiving. And the process of conceiving itself showed Shen Congwen's modernity. He severed from current time which seemed to be regression to departed days. However, his real intention was seeking rational factor from the past, and casting to ideal pattern of the future. In Shen Congwen's works, there was some kind of tension between the exterior marginal writing and the interior modern connotation which maked Shen Congwen different from other Chinese modern writers.