Rural Narrative Of The New Century, The Western Novel

The period from 1980s to 1990s witnesses the peak of western literature. With unique and grotesque artistic perspective, multifarious intellectual orientation and avant-garde exploration of art forms, western literature was elevated to a high level among mainstream Chinese literature at that time. After a short period of low tide, western literature revitalizes itself with an emphasis on the village life. Jia Pingwa from Shaanxi province received the fifth Maodun Literature Award in 2008 by his novel Qinqiang. Meanwhile, Gansu province set up a literary group tititled Eight Masters of Gansu Novel. As one of the eight masters, Xue Mo has attracted the eyes of critics by his trilogy of Damo Ji, Lieyuan and Baihu Guan. For more than twenty years the critics have stressed upon a western spirit which defines western literature. My opinion is that Jia's novel Qinqiang and Xue's trilogy of Damo Ji represents a unique milieu of village narrative in western literature which inherits and transcends the literary theme of a miserable land since 1990s. The introduction of my paper reflects upon the works of Jia and Xue and the overall western literature. The first and second chapter will interpret Jia's Qinqiang and Xue's trilogy with the technique of close reading. The third chapter will discuss the two main theme of disappearance and dispersion since the twenty-first century.