On Dress Discourse In Zhang Ailing's Novels

Dress is a part of people's daily life. With social development the function of dress is becoming more diverse. It is not only the consumer goods for material life, but also the spiritual and multi-culture product. Countless works on clothing description appear since ancient times. Zhang Ailing was such a writer who can add textual charm on dress discourse which in her works is a huge treasure trove that can give comprehensive apparel on dress discourse of culture, semiotics and narration. Meanwhile, it also makes a multi-level perspective to its cultural implications and narrative art.Zhang Ailing is very obsessed with clothes and has gradually formed her own unique aesthetic and apparel because of illustrious background and extensive reading. Excellent dressing cultural background and tumultuous years also provide the real possibility of the cause of her dress discourse. The description of colorful costumes truly records the features of Shanghai costumes in the early 20^th century-combination of traditional and modern dress in China and West. Moreover, dress has become a meaningful form rather than material. Apparel colors, patterns and details often imply a special meaning and a strong symbolic meaning, which gives people unlimited reverie. Meanwhile, Zhang Ailing's unique life experience makes her dress symbol a heavy load of life, emitting a tragic feeling. The description of dress also has a distinctive flavor from the angle of narrator or a certain figure with the methods of describing costumes by contrast, gradual touches and repeated emergence. Zhang Ailing's dress discourse embodies her preference to day-to-day narration and alienation to the dominated grand narration, and shows a female writer's unique perspective of life and means of observation. With many differing genres she left one of the most scenic dazzle for Modern Chinese Literature.